India Maritime Week 2025 sees new pacts as Indian Miniratna shipbuilder eyes MENA region biz

India Maritime Week 2025 wrapped up on Thursday (Oct 31) in Mumbai with a series of agreements aimed at boosting indigenous shipbuilding, expanding ship-repair capacity and advancing clean-energy propulsion as New Delhi seeks a stronger global footprint in the sector.

The five-day event, organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Indian Ports Association (IPA), drew participation from major international shipbuilders, port authorities and maritime technology providers. The Prime Minister, the Home Minister and senior policymakers attended, underlining government support for what officials described as the “Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047”.

Defence public sector shipbuilder Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) took part as an exhibitor, setting up a booth to showcase its shipbuilding, ship-repair and submarine-refit capabilities as well as new green-propulsion initiatives. 

International partnerships in focus

During the week, the company, under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence, signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and technology-partnership agreements intended to strengthen domestic capability and attract overseas collaboration. Among them, an international accord that stood out was inked with MCI World LLC (Dubai) to promote Indian ship-repair services in the Middle East and North Africa. 

The partnership positions the key Indian state-owned shipyard to tap into the enormous commercial maritime and ship-repair market in Gulf and North African countries, where demand for reliable repair, retrofitting, and maintenance services remains steady.

Working with a Dubai-based firm opens potential channels for knowledge exchange on region-specific standards, new market-driven technologies, and best practices.

Domestic push to shipbuilding industry

In addition to the domestic agreements, HSL also inked MoUs with the following domestic players:

* the Indian Ports Association for development of hydrogen tugs under the government’s Green Tug Transition Programme;
* The Dredging Corporation of India Ltd to dock and maintain dredgers at the shipyard.
* Lotus Wireless India Pvt Ltd for electric and hydrogen tug technologies;
* The Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS) to design and deliver skill-development programmes in Industry 4.0, AI, AR/VR and robotics;
* The Visakhapatnam Port Authority to build a 60-tonne-bollard-pull conventional tug;

At a state-level session on shipbuilding, Andhra Pradesh’s Industries Minister and senior officials from the maritime board and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund met industry executives to discuss investment opportunities, including plans for a potential greenfield shipyard in the state.

Separately, the Directorate General of Shipping held policy consultations with shipyards on proposed incentives such as the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS), the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS) and credit-risk coverage mechanisms. Representatives from the defence-run shipyard said the firm had shared inputs on financing and export competitiveness.

Company officials said ongoing modernisation and capacity-enhancement projects are intended to improve productivity and turnaround time while enabling bids for a wider range of vessels, including platform-supply vessels, medium-range tankers and amphibious landing docks. The shipyard is also exploring partnerships with foreign builders and technology suppliers to expand its order book.

Industry participants at IMW 2025 described the event as a step toward aligning India’s maritime sector with global standards in ship design, automation and sustainability.