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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated major projects of strategic importance, developed with an investment of more than ₹4,000 crores. The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal was also present with PM Modi when these four projects were dedicated to the nation here at Cochin Shipyard (CSL) on Wednesday. He termed new projects ‘Symbols of National Pride'.
The New Dry Dock (NDD), with a length of 310 meters, has been built at par with international standards at an investment of Rs 1799 crores. This national pride is an engineering marvel which is capable of handling aircraft carriers twice the displacement of INS Vikrant or other larger ships like Suezmax, Capesize, LNG ships and Jack Up rigs. This strategic asset is also enabled with critical capabilities for Naval & other commercial ships in the event of an emergency. "A flagship project reflecting India's engineering prowess and project management capabilities, the NDD is one of the largest marine infrastructures in the region. It has incorporated the latest technology and innovations to ensure efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability", said MoSP&W in a press statement.
Second project, the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) is India’s first fully developed pure ship repair ecosystem which will add 25% capacity of ship repair industry in the country. Built at an investment of Rs 970 crores, it will also provide rapid turnaround for India’s Naval and Coast Guard ships during emergency as planned refits. ISRF will add capacity for nearly 80 vessels or more per year.
"Set up in 42 acres of leased premises of the Cochin Port Authority at Willingdon Island, Kochi, the ISRF will modernise and expand the existing ship repair capabilities of CSL and transform it as a global ship repair hub and align with Prime Minister's vision of creating ship repair clusters in India and strengthening India's position in the global maritime space", the statement added.
The LPG Import Terminal for #IndianOil was also inaugurated on Wednesday at Puthuvypeen, Kochi with a state-of-the-art infrastructure connected with Multi-User Liquid Terminal Jetty through a 3.5 km Cross Country Pipeline. With a storage capacity of 15,400 MT, the terminal aims at achieving a turnover of 1.2 MMTPA.
The terminal will ensure LPG distribution through road and pipeline transfers, which will directly benefit bottling plants in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It will significantly enhance India's energy infrastructure by ensuring a steady supply of LPG, benefiting millions of households and businesses in and around the region. This project will further strengthen India's efforts towards ensuring accessible & affordable energy for all.
"The projects were setting a global benchmark and that they were in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’ and developing thriving infrastructure for a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Within the framework of Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV), India is poised to ascend to the Top 10 global ranking in both shipbuilding and ship repair" Sonowal said speaking at the event.
"Aligned with the ambitious goals set forth in the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, India aims to elevate Kochi into a prominent Maritime Cluster and a Global Hub for Green Ship with its Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP)", he added.
It is important to note here that ship size-wise, India has successfully built the largest vessels, including 93k tankers and the recent addition of Vikrant. While CSL stands as the only yard with full-fledged Shipbuilding and Ship repair capabilities. CSL has a strong pipeline of Next-Generation Green Technology Ships like Hybrid Electric Catamaran, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ferry, etc. These strides in technology will redefine the maritime industry's future.
Under its Green Vessels Transition Programme, CSL to build 8 Green Vessels for IWAI in which 2 are already delivered and rest will be delivered in due time. CSL as the major ship repairer in India is leading the county’s initiative for setting up ship repair clusters on the west coast of India. The new International Ship Repair Facility by CSL would form part of the Kochi Ship Repair cluster.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways is working on to set up a Centre of Excellence in Shipbuilding & Repair to foster innovation in Ship building and repair, particularly for large and upcoming vessel segments. In future, Ship repair clusters in strategic locations like Kochi, Chennai and Mumbai will be created to create a robust ecosystem for the Indian marine sector.
The Ministry will also be providing world class education, research, and training facilities to the Indian seafarers. To propel the Ship Repair Sector, MoPSW is working on to relax ‘Free Trade Warehousing Zone’ (FTWZ) conditions, to provide customs exemption on import material for vessel’s repairs, setting up a Free Trade Depot at shipyards enabling manufacturers, ancillary parties, traders and entrepreneurs.
As part of future plans, discussions are also underway for a Ship Repair facility at Vadinar by Deendayal Port Authority, Kandla. The Techno-economic Feasibility report is being prepared for the same, aims to trigger the Mumbai-Gujarat Ship Repair cluster.
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