India’s Goa Shipyard To Establish New Warship-Building Unit In Machilipatnam

Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) has selected Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh for its next major warship-building and defence manufacturing facility, marking its first expansion outside Goa.

The project is expected to create 6,500 jobs by 2030, making it one of the most significant developments under the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board’s (APMB) maritime–defence corridor plans.

The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between GSL and APMB on 15 November, during the second day of the CII Partnership Summit. The agreement positions Machilipatnam to become an important shipbuilding centre on India’s East Coast.

Under the MoU, GSL and APMB will collaborate to develop facilities for constructing next-generation naval platforms, including offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), missile boats and coastal security craft.

The project will also support defence-grade refits, modern dry-docking, systems integration and the creation of a marine engineering ecosystem.

The plan includes strengthening Machilipatnam Port as a logistics and defence manufacturing hub to support future naval and maritime requirements.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described the development as a milestone for the state. According to his remarks, GSL’s decision enhances India’s naval capabilities while supporting the state’s goal of building modern maritime and defence infrastructure.

GSL Chairman and Managing Director Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay said that Machilipatnam offered the ideal environment for the company’s next phase of growth. He indicated that GSL expected to scale up advanced warship-building and generate thousands of skilled jobs through the new facility.

Additionally, GSL is set to invest ₹1,500 crore in establishing a greenfield shipbuilding facility in Andhra Pradesh. The company, which has built vessels for the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and several friendly nations for over five decades, is expanding outside Goa for the first time.

Commodore Adikesh Vasudevan, General Manager (Projects), explained that rising orders had created a need for added capacity. He said indirectly that an East Coast facility would also enable GSL to supply ships to Southeast Asian countries more efficiently. The company already delivers vessels to South American nations from its Goa base.

Vasudevan said that shipbuilding is heavily influenced by weather conditions, especially the monsoon. He explained in indirect form that the monsoon season halts outdoor construction work in Goa, while an East Coast unit would allow the company to continue production when weather affects the West Coast.

GSL has been in discussions with the Andhra Pradesh government for around eight months and initially sought 200 acres in Machilipatnam. The exact site is still under finalisation. According to Vasudevan, Andhra Pradesh was preferred over other East Coast states because it has a clearly defined maritime cluster policy, which supported the decision-making process.

The project’s first phase is projected to create:

• 1,500 direct jobs, including skilled technicians, engineering teams, payroll staff and contract workers
• Around 5,000 indirect jobs through supply chains, logistics, port services and ancillary industries expected to develop around the defence manufacturing cluster

References: The Hindu, economictimes

Source: Maritime Shipping News