Gujarat looks to shipbuilding, hosts seminar

Maritime experts from India and abroad are converging on the city Saturday to explore opportunities for Gujarat to become another Japan and Korea in shipbuilding.

They will participate in a two-day international seminar organised by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB). Former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has agreed to be the chief guest for the seminar, which will be inaugurated by state chief minister Narendra Modi at Science City here.

For more than two years now Modi has been focusing on making the state a centre for shipbuilding, a sunrise industry in Gujarat. According to him, the state with a 1,600-km coastline makes for a natural location both for ports and shipbuilding.

The shipbuilding industry in India aspires to be a $20-billion industry by 2020. Gujarat aims to garner 60 percent of the business.

GMB has identified 10 clusters comprising 100 shipyards with an investment prospect of Rs.500 billion.

As many as 20 companies have evinced interest in shipbuilding that could bring an investment of Rs.110 billion and generate jobs for a lakh. Of the total, six companies are in the process of developing full-fledged yards and seven companies have been given in-principle approval.

The sites proposed for shipbuilding yards include the coastal belt between Gogha and Mithivirdi in the Gulf of Khambhat on the estuary of Narmada River, coastal belt between Salaya and Sikka, and Jodia and Navlakhii in the Gulf of Kutch. In addition, some companies are looking at sites such as Dahej and Bhavnagar.

Dong Shik Shin, the chairman and managing director of KOMAC (Korea Maritime Consultants Co Ltd), will be chief international guest of the seminar. The Korean firm is a consultancy organisation providing full range of services including ship design, construction supervision and technical and management consultancy services to shipbuilders and ship owners of 23 countries since its establishment.

The seminar assumes significance since Gujarat has become a hot destination for shipyards with seven projects already in the offing. The participants will dwell on aspects like essential infrastructure and ancillary industry support necessary to boost shipbuilding industry, design of greenfield shipyards, shipbuilding, ship repair and ship conversion financing options available in India for financing new shipyards and for capacity augmentation of existing shipyards well as HRD drive to support growth of shipbuilding industry in India. (IANS)

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