Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is about to become the centerpiece of India’s most ambitious shipbuilding push in decades. The government has cleared four major shipyard projects in the state, signaling its intention to make India a serious contender in the $150-billion global shipbuilding market.
At the heart of this effort is a ₹6,300-crore integrated shipbuilding complex in Chhachi, to be developed by Goa-based Chowgule and Company, which is rapidly emerging as a new powerhouse in the sector. Alongside it, ACT Infra Port Ltd will invest ₹2,400 crore in a greenfield shipbuilding and repair yard in the Gulf of Kutch, positioning Gujarat as a hub for both construction and maintenance of vessels.
State-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) is also moving in, partnering with the Deendayal Port Authority to set up a new yard in Kutch, while working with Modest Infrastructure of the Dempo Group to establish another integrated yard in Bhavnagar district. Memoranda of understanding for these projects are expected to be finalized in Bhavnagar, with Modi expected to oversee the signings.
India’s share of global shipbuilding currently sits at a modest 0.06 percent, but New Delhi’s plan is anything but modest. The government is preparing to invest nearly ₹20,000 crore to build shipbuilding clusters with shared infrastructure, supply chains, and logistics support. Similar hubs are planned for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
The goal is ambitious: vault India into the world’s top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030 and the top 5 by 2047. Beyond capacity, the initiative aims to lead in “green tonnage,” producing environmentally friendly ships and expanding India’s role in the global repair market — potentially rewriting the country’s maritime future.
