Indian Minister Pushes Cochin Shipyard Growth
India’s Cochin Shipyard (CSL) is hiring staff after the country’s shipping minister, Nitan Gadkari, outlined his plans for supporting the public sector firm’s growth.
Gadkari committed to giving the yard top priority in its bid to gain more business. “I will see that CSL gets maximum big orders,” he said after a visit to the yard last week. The promise includes supporting expansion plans by providing land at a nominal rate.
The Indian government has initiatives underway to introduce LNG shipbuilding technology so that India would be amongst the world’s top shipbuilding nations, he said. Some media reports indicate he is focusing his attention on South Korean yards for the technological knowledge needed.
CSL is hoping to build vessels for the Gas Authority of India using a local design, and bidding is already underway.
Gadkari is also encouraging CSL to enter into the lightweight aluminum boat market. Local news media report that CSL is already in talks with Australian shipyard Incat about a technical partnership for building high-speed passenger vessels. As a result, Gadkari hopes CSL initially will make vessels to operate between Kochi and Lakshadweep where they could halve the current voyage times of about 24 hours.
This week, CSL delivered the aluminum fast patrol vessel ICGS Amogh, one of a series of 20 vessels being built for the Indian Coast Guard. Like its 12 sister ships, ICGS Amogh has waterjet propulsion, is capable speeds of 33 knots and will support the Indian Coast Guard in its anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, fisheries protection and monitoring operations.
Apart from the 20 fast patrol vessels, the yard is also building the most prestigious warship of the nation, the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. The carrier is the first of a series of two vessels and the largest warships and the first aircraft carriers to be designed and built in India.
The yard has also delivered 30 high end offshore support vessel in the last six years.
It undertook 75 ship repairs last year including three major consecutive contracts for the Indian Navy under stiff competition from private shipyards in India.
Minister Gadkari’s plans for expansion extend beyond the shipyard, and he is calling for solutions for the problems faced at Cochin Port. The Cochin Port Trust is believed to be facing huge losses due to under-utilization of the international container transshipment terminal at Vallarpadam. “There is a need to make a mindset for development,” he said.
On delivering the inaugural address at the India Maritime 2015 Exhibition and Conference organised jointly by Ministry of Shipping and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the minister said he would consider all useful suggestions regarding the overall development of India’s maritime sector.
Gadkari also declared that his government’s visionary Sagar Mala project would lead to holistic development in many areas including ship repair, shipbuilding, port facilities, goods and passenger terminals and development of logistical infrastructure. While a lot of focus has until now been placed on the country’s railways and roads, not much development has been achieved so far in the maritime sector. The Sagar Mala project will correct that anomaly.
The minister also released a knowledge paper titled ‘Strengthening and Creating Sustainable Maritime Industry’, prepared by FICCI and E&Y LLP. Citing the report, he noted that India’s maritime sector has the potential of generating up to three million jobs. “Employment is a very important priority for any government,” he said, calling for industry’s support and cooperation to develop the sector.