Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), India’s largest shipbuilding and maintenance company, has taken a major step towards strengthening the country’s maritime sector under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. The company signed a long-term Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for strategic collaboration in advanced shipbuilding.
The MoU was exchanged at the landmark event “Samudra se Samriddhi – Transforming India’s Maritime Sector”, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20th September 2025 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State Shantanu Thakur, HD KSOE Senior Vice President Jung Changin, and CSL CMD Madhu S. Nair were present during the signing.
Under this partnership, CSL will leverage its new 310-meter dry dock, inaugurated in January 2024, to build large vessels including Suezmax tankers, container ships, and Capesize bulk carriers, with the capacity to construct up to six vessels annually. To support this, CSL is planning a Block Fabrication Facility (BFF) in Kochi spread over 80 acres with an investment of about ₹3,700 crore, expected to generate nearly 2,000 direct jobs and significantly higher indirect employment in logistics, MSMEs, and allied industries.
The collaboration will also explore new business areas, greenfield shipyards, and skill development while supporting India’s long-term visions—Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision (MAKV) 2047—to position the country as a global shipbuilding hub.
In addition, CSL signed another MoU with Guidance, Government of Tamil Nadu, for a greenfield shipyard project worth ₹15,000 crore. This facility will be developed in collaboration with a Korean partner and is projected to create 10,000 jobs in the first phase, including 4,000 direct and 6,000 indirect opportunities. The proposed shipyard may also feature a state-of-the-art ship repair unit, further boosting Tamil Nadu’s maritime infrastructure.
