Denmark’s Business Minister Visits Mumbai to Push Maritime and Green Shipping Ties
MUMBAI: Denmark’s Minister for Business and Competitiveness, Martin Lidegaard, visited Mumbai on Sunday to advance cooperation with Maharashtra on maritime affairs, green shipping, technology, trade and investment.
Maharashtra is a key commercial partner for Denmark, with more than 60 Danish companies operating in the state across shipping, maritime technology and consumer goods, according to the Danish Embassy.
The minister said Denmark and Maharashtra are two economies of roughly the same size with much to offer each other, and noted that commercial opportunities are expected to expand with the coming EU-India free trade agreement. He added that Danish shipping major Maersk is very active in India’s shipping sector and that he had visited its terminal in Mumbai during the day.
During the visit, L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan was appointed as Denmark’s Honorary Consul in Mumbai. Larsen & Toubro was founded in the city in 1938 by Danish engineers Henning Holck-Larsen and Soren Kristian Toubro.
Lidegaard met with the Governor of Maharashtra, Jishnu Dev Varma, to discuss Danish investments, the EU-India free trade agreement and growing economic opportunities in the maritime sector and infrastructure. He also visited APM Terminals Mumbai, also known as Gateway Terminals India, at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which is operated by APM Terminals, part of the Danish Maersk Group. The discussions there focused on port operations,
infrastructure development and opportunities to improve efficiency and sustainability through green technologies and investment, as well as how Indo-Danish maritime collaboration can promote investments and green growth.
The minister also met Indian conglomerates, shipping companies and Danish maritime and defence businesses at Larsen & Toubro, where talks covered India’s economic and maritime development, industrial partnerships and commercial opportunities.
The visit follows a series of recent Danish investments in the region. In September 2026, Novonesis announced an investment of around 670 million dollars to expand its plant in Patalganga near Mumbai.
In October 2026, Impact Fund Denmark announced a 35 million dollar investment in GreenCell Mobility, one of India’s leading electric bus companies. Maersk, which is headquartered in Mumbai with logistics infrastructure and a port terminal, is exploring opportunities to contribute to the development of Vadhavan Port and has signed an MoU with port authorities to explore cooperation. Other Danish companies with a manufacturing presence in the state include Danfoss, Hempel, Everllence and Alfa Laval, while Danfoss and Hove are preparing to set up new facilities.
