Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), a state-owned Indian shipbuilder, plans to invest approximately 270 billion Indian rupees (approx. $2.813 billion) to build a new large-scale shipbuilding industrial cluster at Digi Port in Maharashtra, India.
Based on an announcement by the Maharashtra state government, on September 15, MDL and National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park Maharashtra Ltd (NSHIPML) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding this large-scale shipbuilding industrial cluster project. NSHIPML is a special-purpose company jointly established by the Maharashtra Maritime Authority and the Port of Mumbai Authority for this project.
Under the agreement, MDL plans to achieve an annual shipbuilding capacity of at least 2 million gross tons at Port of Diji, which is expected to create 90,000 jobs. Once operational, the project will have the capability to build large commercial vessels, helping to strengthen India’s maritime industrial base and reduce the country’s reliance on overseas shipbuilding.
This shipbuilding industry cluster project is part of India’s “Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster Development Plan” and aligns with India’s “Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.” This vision serves as a long-term roadmap to transform India into a globally competitive maritime power.
The project aims to establish modern shipbuilding infrastructure while building an integrated industrial and supply chain ecosystem, with the potential to bring together shipbuilders, component manufacturers, technology providers, and other maritime enterprises.
An MDL official stated: “We will work closely with all stakeholders to build a modern and globally competitive shipbuilding base in Digi.”
India believes that, based on the planned investment scale and production capacity, the Digi shipbuilding industrial cluster is poised to become a key pillar in India’s efforts to build a domestic shipbuilding ecosystem, helping India capture a larger share of the global merchant ship market.