India’s SDHI To Complete 5 Offshore Support Vessels For San Maritime At Revived Pipavav Yard

Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI) will complete five offshore support vessels (OSVs) for Kakinada-based San Maritime India at its Pipavav shipyard on India’s west coast.

The vessels, originally part of a 12-ship order for ONGC, remained unfinished after the yard’s earlier collapse.

San Maritime has already begun docking the vessels at SDHI’s Pipavav yard. The ships will be completed under Indian Register of Shipping (IR Class) standards and are expected to serve growing offshore industry demand.

The five OSVs were originally commissioned under a 12-vessel order placed by ONGC when the yard operated as Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited (RNEL) under Anil Ambani’s leadership.

Seven vessels were delivered. The remaining five were left incomplete after the shipyard entered financial distress and proceedings under India’s National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

As part of the bankruptcy resolution process, SDHI acquired the hulls through its takeover plan for RNEL. The unfinished vessels were later sold to San Maritime on an “as is where is” basis.

San Maritime has now signed a contract with SDHI to dry dock and complete construction of the five OSVs.

The vessels will be finalised in compliance with Indian Register of Shipping (IR Class) requirements. Once delivered, they are expected to support offshore oil and gas operations.

Offshore support vessels play a critical role in India’s energy logistics. They transport crew, equipment, and supplies to offshore platforms and provide anchor handling and operational assistance.

The completion of these units will add to Indian-flag tonnage and enhance domestic offshore capacity.

SDHI stated that finishing the vessels will create maritime jobs and support local vendors and service providers within the shipbuilding ecosystem.

Reference: SDHI

Source: Maritime Shipping News