Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal envisions the BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Pact as a blueprint to transform the Bay of Bengal into a global trade and tourism hub. He inaugurated the second edition of the BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Vishakhapatnam, emphasizing the importance of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. A BIMSTEC Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre will also be established in Mumbai.