India Boosts Shipbuilding and Repair Capacity

India's Ministry of Shipping is setting up a world class Center of Excellence in Maritime and Ship Building in collaboration with Siemens and the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). 

The Center will have campuses at Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai and will provide industry-relevant skill development for engineering and technical positions in the ports and maritime sector. The setup is designed to meet domestic skills requirements in ship design, manufacturing, operating and maintenance, repair and overhaul and will focus on inland waterways, ships and fishing boats. The center also aims to attract students from neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. 

Siemens is contributing technology, expertise and 87 percent of the funding for the Center which will have capacity for over 10,000 students a year. Siemens will run the center for two years and then hand it over to a nonprofit company promoted by IRS. The land and building for the Vishakhapatnam campus has been provided by the Indian Maritime University, and the Mumbai campus has been provided by the IRS. 

The initiative is part of the nation's Make in India and Skill India efforts. 

India's Ministry of Shipping is also developing Cochin into a global ship repair hub with the construction of a new facility at Cochin Shipyard. The ship lift system will be 130 x 25 meters (427 x 82 feet) with a lifting capacity of 6,000 tons and six work stations. The facility will be capable of repairing up to 85 vessels a year, almost double current Cochin Shipyard capacity.