Cochin Shipyard Ltd - Experts & Thought Leaders

Keel Laying of the Seventh Anti-Submarine Warfare ship (ASW SWC) (BY 529, INS Machilipatnam) of the project being built for the Indian Navy was held at Cochin Shipyard Limited by Rear Admiral Upal Kundu, VSM, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command on 29 Jan 2025.  Shri Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, CSL, Director (Technical) and Director (Operations) of CSL, Executive Directors of CSL, General Manager (Ship Building), Warship Production Superintendent, Kochi, Senior officials of Indian Navy & CSL, representatives from the Classification society (DNV), officers, supervisors and workmen of CSL were present for the ceremony. High-end technology-intensive warships Contract for building eight (8) ASW SWC ships was signed between Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), on 30 April 2019. The Mahe Class of Ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and Mine Laying Operations, including subsurface surveillance. These vessels are capable of a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 1800 nautical miles. The vessels are fitted with indigenously developed, state-of-the-art SONARS, for underwater surveillance. This is a fine example of Indian capability and prowess to manufacture high-end technology-intensive warships with high indigenous content under 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), a pioneering international classification society, is proud of its growing role in advancing India's defence capabilities through its participation in major new construction projects for the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, thereby taking a major step forward in realising a self-reliant defence manufacturing capability, as envisioned under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Major new construction vessels Recently, ‘steel-cutting’ took place for several major new construction vessels, as mentioned below, all of which are being classified by the Indian Register of Shipping. The vessels include: Second ‘Fleet Support Ship’ at L&T Shipbuilding First ‘Next Generation Missile Vessel’ at Cochin Shipyard Ltd Second ‘Next Generation Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel’ and first Coast Guard ‘Fast Patrol Vessels’ at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. Keel laying of the Third Cadet Training Ship at L&T Modern Naval and Coast Guard platforms The concurrent commencement of production of these modern Naval and Coast Guard platforms, including the complex Next Generation Missile Vessels and Fleet Support Ships, spread across multiple shipyards, presents a unique challenge, which will test IRS’ technical capabilities and capacity to the fullest. Commenting on the occasion, Cdr. K K Dhawan (Retd), Head Defence, IRS, said: "This milestone signifies India’s growing capabilities in indigenous defence manufacturing and IRS is honoured to play a pivotal role in ensuring these vessels meet the highest standards of safety and performance. IRS will take all required steps to ensure timely delivery of classification services and adherence to quality benchmarks."

Adani Ports & SEZ, through its subsidiary, Ocean Sparkle Limited, has placed an order for 8 nos of 70 T Bollard Pull ASD (Azimuthing Stern Drive) Tugs on Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited, the wholly owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) – the pioneering shipyard in India. This is in addition to the 3 nos of the 70 T Bollard Pull Tugs already under construction at Udupi-CSL for Ocean Sparkle Limited, totalling 11 Tug orders on Udupi-CSL. Designs of Robert Allan Limited The 70 Tonne Bollard Pull Tugs have a Length of 33 m, Beam of 12.2 m and Draft of 4.2 m. The vessels will be propelled by 2-main engines of 1838 kW and 2.7 m Propellers from Niigata IHI Power Systems Co. Ltd., Deck Equipment from W-Rig Limited. These tugs will be built to the designs of Robert Allan Limited, world’s pioneering design house for harbour tugs. The tugs are built to the Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications (ASTDS) promulgated by the Government of India for promoting Atma Nirbhar Bharath initiatives. Udupi-CSL has been piloting the initial projects under this scheme. Udupi-CSL has already delivered 2 x 62 T Bollard Pull Tugs for Ocean Sparkle Limited in 2023 and 2 x 70 T Bollard Pull Tugs for Polestar Maritime Limited in 2024. Deadweight general cargo vessel The first of the series of vessel–3800 Deadweight General Cargo Vessel was launched in Dec 2024 Udupi-CSL also has shipbuilding orders for construction of 6 nos of 3800 Deadweight General Cargo Vessels and 8 nos of 6300 Deadweight Dry Cargo vessels for M/s. Wilson ASA, Norway. The first of the series of vessel–3800 Deadweight General Cargo Vessel was launched in Dec 2024. The Yard is also constructing 1 x 70 T Bollard Pull Tug for Polestar Maritime Limited. Udupi-CSL since take over in 2020, was revived by Cochin Shipyard Limited, and the Yard has been turned around in a short period, and the orderbook of this Yard has now crossed INR 2000 Crores. Introducing the Battery Electric Tugs Mr. Madhu Nair, the Chairman and Managing Director of CSL, said, "CSL and Udupi-CSL has introduced the Robert Allan Tugs in India complying with the Approved Standard Tug Design and Specifications (ASTDS) and has benchmarked the delivery timelines and quality of the tugs being constructed in India." Mr. Madhu Nair adds, "CSL is committed to transforming the industry by introducing the Battery Electric Tugs too through the upcoming Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) announced by the Govt. of India."