Shipbuilding Clusters in 5 Indian States: Union Minister Sonowal

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Ship-building and ship repair clusters will be established in five states including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday.

Recognizing the strategic importance of shipbuilding and ship repair, the ministry is developing dedicated clusters in Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Gujarat, Sonowal said while highlighting the major accomplishments of his ministry in the first 100 days of the third term of the NDA government. In the next five years, the ministry projects container handling to reach an impressive 40 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), creating 2 million job opportunities across the country.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) alone will scale up its handling capacity from the current 6.6 million TEUs to 10 million, he added.

The minister also said that 3,900 acres of land has been allotted in Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) and V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust (VoCPA) for setting up of hydrogen manufacturing hubs.

This will attract more than Rs 5 lakh crore worth of investment in the coming years, he added.

He also said JNPA is going to become the first Indian Port to attain a Container Handling Capacity of 10 million TEUs in the coming months

Sonowal said International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP) at Galathea Bay, Great Nicobar Island, which will serve as a major transshipment hub.

After 25 years since the establishment of Kamarajar Port, the addition of Vadhvan Port marks a significant milestone in India's maritime journey, alongside the recent notification of Galathea Bay as a major port," he said.

He underscored the foundation of Vadhvan Port, India's first major port project of the 21st century, poised to become one of the largest all-weather deep-water ports with a capacity of 298 MMTPA.

According to him, this mega port is expected to create 1.2 million employment opportunities and place an Indian port among the top 10 container ports globally, significantly improving international shipping connectivity and reducing transit times and costs.