THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soon after media reports quoted Tata Group officials explicitly denying Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s claim of a Rs 10,000-crore investment for a shipbuilding unit in Kerala, the state government on Friday launched a damage-control exercise, clarifying that the figure referred to the total investment the state aims to attract, not a finalised commitment from a single company.
The official note said the figure represented the total investment targeted over the coming years through multiple projects and investors under its newly launched ‘Mission Samudra’ initiative.
However, the note said a joint venture involving a Tata Group subsidiary is already setting up a shipbuilding unit at Cochin Port. The project, facilitated by the state, is a joint venture between state-owned Malabar Cements Ltd and Artson Engineering Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Projects. It said all major clearances have been secured and the Cochin Port Authority has allotted the required land, enabling preliminary work to begin on what the government described as a key step towards building a modern shipbuilding ecosystem in Kerala.
According to the official statement, Mission Samudra is a comprehensive maritime development plan, not a single shipbuilding project. It aims to leverage Kerala’s key coastal assets, including Vizhinjam International Seaport, Cochin Port and Cochin Shipyard, by integrating industries such as shipbuilding, ship repair, offshore fabrication, marine engineering, coastal manufacturing, logistics and allied maritime services.
The government reiterated that talks are on with several leading domestic and international investors and expressed confidence that they would translate into major investments in the near future. It said details of each project would be announced transparently once they reach the final stage.
Satheesan’s original remarks came in the wake of the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s proposed Rs 13,000-crore investment, billed as the single largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure.