Rajnath: India Can Be Global Shipbuilding Hub
The two other projects are at Metal and Steel Factory, Ishapore under the Yantra India Limited with a combined investment of over ₹750 crores: Reports
KOLKATA: Defence minister Rajnath Singh asserted on Sunday India's potentiality to become a global shipbuilding hub. He underlined the scope in view of a recent drop in shipbuilding capacity in many western countries. Mr Singh was speaking at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) after performing 'Bhumi Pujan' of five brownfield projects worth around ₹3,500 crores of investments in West Bengal in presence of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The defence minister said, “The demand for all types of vessels has been growing. Our navy is also expanding and so are the challenges in maritime defence. Many nations such as the UK once expanded their empires with maritime power. But their shipbuilding capacities decreased in recent years. There is a gap in global shipbuilding capacity. This is a golden opportunity for India.”
Elaborating the reasons behind the global changes in ship production, he explained, “One reason is it takes around five years to build a ship. By the time you complete the construction, the technology used in its various systems and weapons becomes outdated.
We have our new generation of engineers and IT experts. We can become a world-class ship designing hub and can export designs also. In production, we have our workforce which other nations are losing. If we modernise our manufacturing capacity, India will become the world’s biggest maritime hub.”
Mr Singh then pointed out, “We can also become a hub of ship repair, maintenance and overhaul in the Indian Ocean region. GRSE should focus itself on these lines. The projects we started today are a step towards the global market.”
Among the five projects, three belong to GRSE which has signed lease agreements with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata for two small shipyards on either bank of river Hooghly, Raichak in South 24 Parganas and Shalimar in Howrah to enhance its capabilities in warship building and refit apart from the construction and repair of small and medium-sized commercial vessels.
Spread across 32-acres, the Raichak facility, with a 356-metre waterfront, 96-metre jetty and 8-10 metre draught, will be developed as a shipbuilding hub with an investment of over ₹2,500 crores. It will feature a 200-metre dry dock, slipway, launching pad, jetties and block fabrication facilities to enable construction of warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels up to 60,000 DWT.
At Shalimar, a four-acre Timber Pond facility will be rejuvenated with nearly ₹100 crores for medium-sized shipbuilding and repairs including restoration of the 130-metre dry dock and construction of a 120-metre slipway. The third is Damodar facility at Kidderpore Docks, comprising an old workshop and 25-metre waterfront. It will receive around ₹70 crores for medium-sized vessel repairs and construction of electric ferries and other small crafts.
The two other projects are at Metal and Steel Factory, Ishapore under the Yantra India Limited with a combined investment of over ₹750 crores to strengthen indigenous metallurgical and defence manufacturing. While a 3,000-ton Heavy Duty Hydraulic Open Die Forging Press of ₹277.59-crores will replace the ageing 2,650-ton press to produce gun barrels, ammunition components and heavy defence forgings, a Radial Forging Plant of ₹473.84-crore will manufacture super alloy forgings, aerial bomb tubes, ordnance hardware, railway axles and nuclear reactor components.
