Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India is emerging as the preferred sustainment and repair hub for the entire Indo-Pacific region, backed by a rapidly advancing shipbuilding ecosystem that is now delivering multiple world-class naval platforms.
Speaking as the chief guest at `Samudra Utkarsh`, a seminar showcasing the capabilities of Indian shipyards, Singh said the growing number of ships from friendly foreign nations seeking complex refits in India reflects rising global confidence in the country`s technological strength, reliability and competitiveness in the maritime domain.
He said Indian shipyards today possess the maturity and industrial depth to produce some of the most advanced defence platforms in the Indo-Pacific.
“Ships from friendly foreign nations are increasingly coming to Indian shipyards for complex refits. This is a clear recognition of India`s capability, reliability and competitiveness,” Singh noted, adding that India`s ambition is to become the region`s primary maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) destination.
The Defence Minister underlined that India is among the few nations capable of designing and constructing sophisticated warships.
He mentioned that shipbuilders such as Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) are producing state-of-the-art stealth frigates, destroyers and next-generation anti-submarine warfare and shallow-water vessels.
Goa Shipyard Limited, Singh pointed out, is building high-technology offshore patrol vessels and missile variants, while MDL`s Kalvari-class submarines–built with steadily increasing levels of indigenisation- demonstrate India`s growing competence in underwater warfare systems.
“These flagship projects highlight the country`s expanding design capability, automation strength and systems-integration expertise.”
Singh also mentioned the growing contribution of Indian shipyards to the global commercial and value-added maritime sector.
“Cochin Shipyard Limited has delivered advanced passenger and cargo vessels, coastal ferries, pollution-control and research ships, and is currently constructing the world`s most advanced deep-sea mining support vessel for ISRO and the National Institute of Ocean Technology. Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding has developed high-speed interceptor crafts and offshore patrol vessels that are now beinig exported.”
Expressing pride in India`s self-reliance, Singh said every ship currently under construction for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard is being built in Indian shipyards.
With continuing policy support and expanding capability, he expressed confidence that the country`s commercial fleet will also be built entirely in India in the near future.
The Defence Minister said several shipyards are on track to achieve 100 per cent indigenous content within this decade, and beyond defence platforms, are designing specialised vessels, including oceanographic research ships, fishery production vessels, hydrographic survey ships, pollution-control vessels and coastal patrol craft.
Indian shipyards, he added, are increasingly adopting environmentally friendly technologies and contributing to climate-resilient maritime growth.
“In doing so, the shipyards of Bharat are shaping a sustainable blue economy for the future,” Singh said.
Reflecting on India`s long maritime heritage, Singh noted that the country`s seafaring legacy dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation around 2500 BC, where archaeological discoveries at Lothal in Gujarat reveal one of the world`s earliest known port cities with advanced dockyards, tidal channels and maritime design.
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