Indian media reports that Swan Defence and Heavy Industries (SDHI) has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a leading international classification society, to strengthen India’s maritime ecosystem and shipbuilding capabilities.
This collaboration will introduce world-class expertise to the Indian shipbuilding industry, enhancing sustainability, safety, and performance standards while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. This is reportedly DNV’s first strategic partnership with an Indian shipyard. SDHI has confirmed the cooperation.
The report states that both parties pledged to build strong R&D capabilities in India, driving progress in innovation and new technology development, accelerating digital transformation, cybersecurity integration, high-end ship design, and cultivating future-oriented shipping talent, in line with the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
According to the report, the collaboration between SDHI and DNV covers merchant ship and special vessel construction, including classification society and statutory certification services, modular construction technology consulting, design optimization, integration of emerging maritime technologies, and consulting services for establishing modern ship repair and conversion infrastructure for domestic and international naval clients; supporting the Indian shipbuilding industry in strengthening local suppliers, fostering maritime industry clusters in and around shipyard areas, and promoting the localization of the shipbuilding supply chain to over 90%.
Data shows that SDHI, formerly known as Reliance Naval Engineering Limited (RNEL)—the operator of the Pipavav Shipyard—is a leading Indian shipbuilding and heavy equipment manufacturing company. It operates India’s largest dry dock (662 meters × 65 meters) and one floating dock (340 meters × 60 meters), a site area of 2 million square meters, and a 1.2-kilometer waterfront, capable of constructing Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and offshore equipment. The shipyard has now completed a $250 million renovation and upgrade project, giving it the capacity to build large commercial vessels; currently, the shipyard’s production capacity accounts for nearly 30% of India’s total capacity.
In April 2026, SDHI announced that it had secured an order from Energy ONE for four 92,500 DWT ammonia-dual-fuel bulk carriers. These new vessels will be classed by DNV and will be the first ammonia-dual-fuel ships built by Indian shipyards, as well as among the largest commercial vessels ever constructed by Indian shipyards to date.