Cochin Shipyard to build multipurpose vessels under 'Make in India' campaign

Kochi: Government-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited will build Indian Navy's multi-purpose vessels, including warships, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious "Make-in-India" campaign which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse of weapons.

Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said an agreement would be signed between the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Shipping to manufacture different types of naval ships, including warships, in the next five years at CSL as part of government's efforts to "encourage the Indian industries".

Dedicating a specialised multi-purpose Buoy Tender Vessel to the nation at the shipyard here, Gadkari said he discussed the matter with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday and "he assured me we will make an agreement between the two ministries" in this regard.

As per the agreement to be signed, Gadkari said that in the next five years, whatever orders are from the Defence Ministry to manufacture ships, that will go to Cochin Shipyard. Asked for further clarification on the agreement, he said the Defence Ministry is "mentally prepared" to give orders to the Cochin Shipyard Limited and "they are just studying how much requirement the Navy has in the next five years".

"They will give the order to the Cochin Shipyard. There will be agreement between the Defence Ministry and the Shipping Ministry," the Minister said. He said the ships to be manufactured in Cochin Shipyard Limited includes warships and other different types of ships, based on the requirement of the Navy. "My feeling is that we are fully capable and Cochin Shipyard is 101% fully capable. It only needs confidence and ambition. Without ambition, we cannot make progress," the Shipping Minister said.