Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI), India’s largest shipbuilding and heavy fabrication company, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for a strategic investment of Rs 42.50 billion. The collaboration aimed to modernise shipyard infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, and build a sustainable talent pipeline for India’s maritime industry. The Rs 42.50 billion investment was allocated across three projects at the Pipavav Port shipyard in Gujarat, which housed India’s largest dry dock capable of building vessels up to 400,000 DWT. Of this, Rs 35 billion was directed towards capacity expansion including slipway, jetties, cranes, block fabrication, and dredging to meet domestic and global shipbuilding demand.

A state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Maritime was planned at the shipyard with a Rs 2 billion investment. The CoE would train over 1,000 youth annually, delivering certified, industry-ready professionals. Equipped with smart classrooms, advanced simulators, specialised labs, and design software, it would also support research and innovation in ship design, construction, and retrofitting.

Additionally, SDHI committed Rs 5.50 billion to develop a 200-acre Maritime Cluster within the shipyard. The cluster would serve as a hub for ancillary industries, suppliers, and service providers, fostering innovation, improving efficiency, boosting the local economy, and reinforcing India’s global trade footprint.

Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena (retd.), CEO of Swan Defence and Heavy Industries, said: “We were honoured to partner with the Gujarat Maritime Board in this landmark collaboration. By investing in infrastructure, capacity, and skills, we added world-class capabilities that would accelerate India’s shipbuilding ecosystem. SDHI was laying the foundation for long-term growth and cementing India’s place on the global maritime map.”

The collaboration between SDHI and GMB aligned with the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, signalling a new era of growth, innovation, and leadership for India’s shipbuilding industry.