Dighi Port To Get India’s Largest Shipyard
Rane highlighted that every memorandum the state signed at last year’s India Maritime Summit had since become an actual investment.
Mumbai: Maharashtra is set to house India’s largest shipyard at Dighi Port in Raigad district of the coastal Konkan region. Maharashtra minister of fisheries and port development Nitesh Rane on Monday said that a historic Rs 26,500 crore tripartite agreement has been finalized between Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the Central Government, and the Maharashtra Government to build India’s largest shipyard.
The project involves an investment of Rs 26,500 crore and employment for about 50,000 people. The mega-project will be established as part of a specialized Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster, said Rane while speaking at the inaugural session of the FICCI’s Maritime India Conference & Expo 2026.
According to him, the Dighi Shipyard project is an indication of Maharashtra’s efforts to drive its maritime and port-led infrastructure initiatives.
“Maharashtra will soon unveil a comprehensive maritime development policy, which will serve as the most investor-friendly framework in the country. Investors will receive red carpet treatment and single-window clearance,” Rane said.
Rane highlighted that every memorandum the state signed at last year’s India Maritime Summit had since become an actual investment. He said Maharashtra introduced a specialized shipbuilding, ship-repairing, and ship-breaking policy within its first 100 days to streamline environmental clearances, minimize project development time and encourage land acquisition.
Vijay Sankar, President-Elect of FICCI and Chairman of Sanmar Group, said India’s major ports had handled a record 915mn tonnes of cargo in 2025-26, exceeding the target with growth of 7 per cent. He said the Union government’s ₹70,000 crore package for shipbuilding and the maritime sector was ‘a significant opportunity’ for states.
“India’s maritime transformation is not simply an infrastructure story,” Sankar said. “It is a story of economic competitiveness, strategic capability and national ambition.” He set out three priorities raised by FICCI members: infrastructure that works as one integrated system, industry investment to match policy support, and capturing more value from the trade India handles, including more Indian cargo on Indian ships.
The Netherlands is the official Partner Country of the event, anchoring a strong bilateral push for sustainable and digital shipping infrastructure. As the central international partner, the Netherlands is utilizing the conference to advance commercial projects tied to the newly elevated strategic partnership between the two nations
H.E. Mr Thierry Van Helden, Consul and Deputy Head of Mission at the Netherlands Consulate General in Mumbai, said the real test of the India–Netherlands Green and Digital Sea Corridor would be “turning that ambition into projects that make commercial sense”. He announced that a dedicated Dutch shipbuilding delegation would visit India in February 2027.