Charting a New Course: India's Ambitious Shipbuilding Boom

India is launching a large-scale shipbuilding expansion under the Maritime India Vision 2030 and 2047, with plans to develop eight shipbuilding clusters along its coastline. The initiative aims to boost India’s global shipbuilding market share—currently under 1%—and enhance self-reliance in maritime infrastructure.

The plan includes five greenfield clusters in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, and three brownfield expansions in Gujarat (Vadinar and Kandla) and Kerala (near Cochin Port).

“All state governments have formed special purpose vehicles (SPVs) with pre-approved land parcels and multimodal connectivity via roads and rail,” said Ports and Shipping Secretary T.K. Ramachandran.

These integrated clusters will house shipbuilding yards, component manufacturers, equipment vendors, insurance providers, leasing companies, and bunkering services, offering end-to-end support for maritime manufacturing and services.

Despite India’s progress, the global shipbuilding market remains dominated by China, South Korea, and Japan.

“To narrow the gap, India must aggressively pursue foreign investment and technology transfer,” said Pushpank Kaushik, CEO of Jassper Shipping.

To support the initiative, the Union Budget for FY26 has earmarked ₹25,000 crore for a Maritime Development Fund, alongside policy incentives to lower input costs and attract both domestic and global players to the shipbuilding ecosystem.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.