Indian Coast Guard hosts maiden shipbuilding, indigenisation & IT conference
New Delhi, November 27, 2025. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) convened its first-ever Shipbuilding, Indigenisation & IT Conference at Madikeri, Karnataka, marking a landmark step toward strengthening national maritime capability and advancing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and digital transformation. The event brought together senior dignitaries, leading shipyards, equipment manufacturers, classification societies, and subject matter experts from across the maritime ecosystem, creating a dynamic platform for collaboration and innovation.
In his inaugural address, Director General Paramesh Sivamani, AVSM, PTM,TM, Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG), emphasised the strategic imperative of achieving self-reliance in shipbuilding through indigenous innovation, robust digital infrastructure, and resilient supply chains. He lauded the Indian shipbuilding industry and equipment manufacturers for their steadfast support in enhancing the ICG’s operational capabilities.
Highlighting a major milestone, the DGICG commended the successful progression of the 200th indigenously built vessel (the 4th Pollution Control Ship), currently undergoing sea trials, as a testament to the technical acumen and engineering excellence of ICG technocrats. He further outlined the steady advancement of Project Digital Coast Guard, an initiative designed to establish a secure, scalable, and resilient digital backbone across all ICG units, while stressing that digital expansion must go hand in hand with strong cyber security frameworks.
A significant highlight of the conference was the signing of an MoU between the ICG and the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre (CDIIC). This partnership aims to foster structured collaboration, strengthen the defence innovation ecosystem, and accelerate indigenisation initiatives through the Defence Innovation Hub at Coimbatore. During the event, the DGICG also released a teaser of the e-book “History of Shipbuilding in the Indian Coast Guard”, the Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence in ICG, and the ICG Cyber Crisis Management Plan–2025, each underscoring the organisation’s commitment to capability enhancement, digital evolution, and futuristic preparedness.
The conference facilitated meaningful dialogue among stakeholders, enabling alignment of perspectives, synergy of efforts, and articulation of future-ready requirements for the Indian Coast Guard. It marked a pivotal step in charting the course for a technologically empowered, operationally superior, and fully indigenous maritime force.
