Maharashtra Zeroes In on Dighi for ₹20,000-Crore Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster; MDL Likely Anchor Yard

Confirming the development, M. Angamuthu, Chairman of Mumbai Port Authority, said the site has been largely finalised. “We have almost identified Dighi for the greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Maharashtra. It’s a good location,” Angamuthu said.   The Mumbai Port Authority and the Maharashtra government have established a 50:50 special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop the cluster, which will be responsible for creating common landside and waterfront infrastructure.     The SPV is in the process of identifying an anchor shipyard, with MDL emerging as the preferred candidate. “We have requested Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to support us. They have responded in writing that they are supporting us. We are pushing it, and the Maharashtra government is also proactively pursuing it,” Angamuthu said.

Earlier this year, MDL Chairman and Managing Director Capt Jagmohan had said the company was actively evaluating the construction of a new mega shipyard in Maharashtra to support India’s ambition of becoming one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.

The state had previously shortlisted Dighi, Nandgaon and Vijaydurg before narrowing its focus to Dighi.

The Maharashtra government has appointed Haskoning India Consulting Pvt Ltd to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and feasibility study for the proposed cluster.

The identified site lies immediately south of Dighi Port, the private port operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited.      Once the anchor shipyard is finalised, the project is expected to receive support under the Union government’s Shipbuilding Development Scheme, which has an outlay of ₹19,989 crore and aims to establish three to four greenfield shipbuilding clusters, with one cluster permitted per state. The scheme provides 100% capital assistance for eligible common infrastructure, including: Breakwaters, wave breakers and tide-independent basins; Channel and basin development; Land reclamation and grading; Internal roads, utilities and common infrastructure; Regional shipbuilding capability development centres; and common maritime assets such as barges and floating cranes

The state government will play a critical role by providing land, statutory clearances, connectivity, fiscal incentives and policy support to improve project viability and attract private investment.

Under the scheme guidelines, government land earmarked for the cluster will be transferred to the SPV at a nominal price of ₹1. Where government land is unavailable, the state will be responsible for acquiring it.     Each greenfield shipbuilding cluster is envisioned as a plug-and-play maritime manufacturing ecosystem, comprising approximately 2 km of waterfront and 2,000 acres of land.      The development will allocate around 1,000 acres for shipyards and another 1,000 acres for ancillary industries, social infrastructure and common facilities.     The ancillary ecosystem will include engine manufacturers, steel fabricators, ship equipment suppliers, machinery manufacturers and other maritime engineering industries to strengthen the domestic shipbuilding value chain.     Each cluster is expected to accommodate one or more large shipyards with a combined production capacity of around 1.2 million gross tonnage (GT) annually. At least one anchor shipyard must develop a design capacity of 0.5 million GT per annum within ten years of commissioning.      The proposed Maharashtra cluster forms part of India’s broader strategy to expand national shipbuilding capacity dramatically, with the government targeting an increase in annual shipbuilding output to 4.5 million GT by 2037, nearly 40 times current levels.