3 shipbuilding clusters to come up at Rs.75,000 crore
New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- Centre is looking at an investment of Rs.75,000 crore in the three brand-new shipyards planned along its east and west coasts, as it targets to make India a global hub for shipbuilding. The investment will be made over four to five years, with the yards capable of making and repairing ships.
"The government is seeking to set up three greenfield shipbuilding clusters and support the existing shipyards carry out brownfield expansion. Overall, the government is targeting about Rs.25,000 crore investment per greenfield cluster, which may be subject to significant changes based on the final locations and the shipyard sizes," the Union ports ministry said in response to a query.
Five states are in talks with local and foreign shipbuilders to pick the ideal locations to host the three facilities, the ministry said. One of the shipyards may also host a shipbreaking facility supplying material for shipbuilding.
"MoPSW (ministry of ports, shipping and waterways) is also finalizing schemes to support these clusters (greenfield). For the brownfield expansion of existing yards, there is a scheme under finalization to support the expansion efforts of all the yards," the ministry said.
Greenfield manufacturing refers to facilities put up from scratch, while brownfield refers to the expansion of existing facilities.
The planned total amount of Rs.75,000 is expected to come from both the Centre and companies.
Mint reported in July that Indian state-run firms were looking to tie up with global shipbuilders. Also, in September, Mint reported that India is looking to Japan and Korea for shipbuilding initiatives. Talks are on with Japanese and Korean shipbuilders for investments in Indian clusters, while existing public sector shipbuilders are separately negotiating with Korean firms for joint ventures.
The shipyard push is part of the government's ambition to make ships of all sizes and build locally, and encourage Indian built, owned and flagged cargo ships. The country's share in global shipbuilding now remains below 1%. The government's projection is to raise the share of Indian built ships in India's fleet from 5% at present to 7% by 2030 and 69% by 2047.
Earlier, shipping secretary T.K. Ramachandran had told Mint that five locations in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra were being considered for developing shipbuilding clusters. It is expected that first three may come up in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Odisha, where identification and notification of land for the project has progressed swiftly. Special purpose vehicles have also been formed in these states and they have also commissioned techno economic feasibility report (TEFR) for the project.
Some of the sites have carried out initial viability assessments of the locations and the same is planned for other locations. The findings will be shared with shipbuilders, and they will be invited to invest in these clusters, the ministry said.
"A significant capital commitment under a public-private partnership model underpins the ambitious objective of becoming a leading shipbuilding power by 2047. While the challenge is massive, the opportunity is equally substantial," said Anshuman Magazine, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, at CBRE, a global consulting firm....
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