India-UAE joint venture aims to turn Kochi into a major ship-repair hub
India and the UAE have created a 50:50 partnership between Cochin Shipyard Limited and Drydocks World to expand the Kochi repair facility, targeting over 80 vessels a year.
A 50:50 joint venture between Cochin Shipyard Limited and Dubai-based Drydocks World, a DP World subsidiary, will operate and enlarge the International Ship Repair Facility in Kochi. The partnership plans to boost workstations from six to 16, enabling the repair of more than 80 ships annually, including tankers, container carriers and offshore support vessels, and to attract vessels that currently use hubs such as Dubai and Singapore.
The deal aligns with India's Rs 69,725 crore shipbuilding and maritime reform scheme, which provides financial assistance, a Maritime Development Fund and legal reforms to expand capacity. CSL, the builder of the domestically produced aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and currently constructing six Next Generation Missile Vessels, will gain from the expanded capacity as the Navy targets a fleet of 200 ships by 2035. The initiative supports the government's Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which aim to place India among the top-10 global shipbuilders by 2030 and top-5 by 2047. Additional shipbuilding clusters are being approved nationwide, with Mazagon Dock and Tamil Nadu agencies planning a Rs 15,000 crore complex.
Why it matters
The partnership could shift ship-repair business to India, boosting the domestic maritime industry and supporting naval expansion.
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