MDL, Tamil Nadu sign pact to explore greenfield shipyard on east coast
New Delhi, September 23. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), a defence public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Guidance Tamil Nadu, to explore the development of a greenfield shipyard on India’s eastern coast.
The agreement, aligned with the Government of India’s ‘Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, was signed on September 19 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on September 23. Biju George, Director (Shipbuilding), MDL, and Darez Ahamed, Managing Director and CEO of Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state’s nodal agency for investment promotion and facilitation, formalised the pact at a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal was present at the event, which highlighted the government’s push to strengthen India’s shipbuilding infrastructure and enhance maritime capacity.
The proposed shipyard project is expected to give a major boost to the country’s shipbuilding ecosystem and expand India’s presence as a global player in the sector.
