'India can be next ship-building hub'

'India can be next ship-building hub'

India has tremendous potential to become the next hub of ship building, said Shipping Minister G K Vasan.

Speaking at the launch of INS Vikrant in Kochi on Monday, Vasan underscored the need for a vibrant shipbuilding industry and more shipyards. He pointed out that there are vibrant shipbuilding industries behind the growth of major economies like USA, some European countries, Japan and Korea.

“The emerging economies like India are slated to be the next hubs for shipbuilding. In order to realise the true potential, we have set long term targets for shipbuilding which are being actively pursued”, he said. Vasan said there’s significant potential for the growth of the ship building industry in India. There are immense opportunities in every segment of ship building.

In the defence segment, the Indian Navy has requirements for high tech ships in its endeavour to become a blue water navy. In the commercial segment, there is a requirement for ships in every category like oil tankers, bulk carriers and offshore support vessels. Apart from these, there are requirements for research ships, seismic ships and other specialised ships. Ship repair is another area which holds great promise in future.

There is an acute shortage of ship repair facilities in the Indian Ocean area. By coming forward to set up an International Ship Repair facility in Cochin Port Trust, CSL has taken the initiative. With this, CSL will be able to take up repairs of more small ships and use its present dry dock for bigger ships, he said.

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The New Indian Express
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