Critical Success Factors in Non‐major Ports Development on Public Private Partnership: Evidence From India

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) at India's nonmajor ports face governance challenges that frameworks drawn from other infrastructure sectors do not adequately address. This study examines critical success factors (CSFs) for PPP development where state maritime boards hold concurrent authority over planning, licensing, concession design, and environmental clearance. Using a convergent mixed‐methods design, a structured survey ( n = 302, 15 items, five CSF domains) was analyzed through principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation, alongside 26 semi‐structured stakeholder interviews. PCA confirmed a five‐component solution explaining 85.3% of total variance, with strong internal consistency ( α = 0.859). Stakeholder engagement and technical capability emerged as a hub domain, carrying significant associations with all four remaining domains: regulatory‐legal clarity, financial feasibility and risk management, environmental and social performance, and overall project outlook. Regulatory clarity andfinancial bankability were closely associated ( r = 0.218), and regulatory and environmental conditions showed no significant link with strategic outlook, suggesting they function as threshold rather than viability‐shaping conditions. These findings offer direct guidance for state maritime boards, identifying stakeholder coordination, regulatory standardization, and early environmental integration as foundational conditions for sustainable non‐major port PPP development.