India To Develop 8 Shipbuilding Clusters Under Rs 2 Lakh Crore Plan To Boost Global Standing

India will establish eight major shipbuilding clusters along its coast, including five new greenfield sites and three expansions of existing facilities, to strengthen its domestic maritime manufacturing sector, Mint reported on Monday (7 July).

According to a report by Money Control, Union Shipping Secretary T K Ramachandran said that the locations have been finalised with land and other required approvals in place.

“All state governments have formed special purpose vehicles to implement the project with identified land parcels,” Ramachandran said, noting that work on supporting infrastructure like road, rail, and seaside facilities is already underway.

The move comes as India holds less than one per cent of the global shipbuilding market, far behind leaders like China, South Korea, and Japan. To close that gap, the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Vision 2047 aim to raise India’s ranking to the top 10 by 2030 and top 5 by 2047.

The greenfield clusters will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. These will integrate ship manufacturing, component supply, insurance, leasing, and bunkering services.

Three brownfield upgrades are also planned: in Vadinar and Kandla (Gujarat) and near Cochin Port (Kerala). Officials are pursuing global partnerships, including with firms in South Korea, Japan, and Scandinavia.

The around Rs 2 lakh crore investment plan will unfold over 5–6 years. In the Union Budget for FY26, measures supporting shipbuilding included a Rs 25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund, tax breaks, easier financing terms, and a revised Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme.

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