What Happened
- The government is appointing 15 Naval Architects to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on a contractual basis to strengthen shipbuilding capabilities.
- These professionals will form part of a dedicated Shipbuilding Cell being set up within DGS to reduce India's dependence on foreign vessels.
- The Shipbuilding Cell will focus on policy development, yard assessment, market analysis, project development, and investment facilitation.
- Selected naval architects will be posted at key maritime hubs: Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kandla, and Paradip.
- The initiative is aligned with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which set a target of 5% global shipbuilding market share by 2030.
Static Topic Bridges
Directorate General of Shipping (DGS)
The Directorate General of Shipping is the regulatory body under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways responsible for overseeing maritime safety, vessel registration, certification of seafarers, and regulating shipbuilding and ship repair activity in India. It functions under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and serves as the technical and policy backbone for India's maritime administration. The newly created Shipbuilding Cell within DGS marks an institutional shift from purely regulatory functions toward active developmental and investment facilitation roles.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- Statutory basis: Merchant Shipping Act, 1958
- Shipbuilding Cell responsibilities: policy drafting, yard assessments, market analysis, and project facilitation
- 15 contractual Naval Architects to be posted at 7 major port cities
Connection to this news: The appointment of Naval Architects represents a structural upgrade of DGS from a regulator into a developmental enabler, directly addressing the technical capacity gap that has kept India below 1% of global shipbuilding market share.
Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047
Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030), launched in 2021, is a transformative roadmap with over 150 strategic initiatives envisioning total investments of ₹3–3.5 lakh crore across ports, shipping, and inland waterways. Its successor, the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, envisions investments of nearly ₹80 lakh crore and aims to make India a top-5 maritime nation by 2047. Together, these frameworks target 10 world-class shipyards, green-fuel shipping, and entry into the global top-10 shipbuilding nations by 2030.
- MIV 2030 launched: 2021, with 150+ initiatives
- Total investment target (MIV 2030): ₹3–3.5 lakh crore
- Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 investment target: ~₹80 lakh crore
- India's current global shipbuilding share: less than 1% (vs. ~90% for China, South Korea, Japan combined)
- Target: 5% global shipbuilding market share by 2030; top-5 nation by 2047
- India is already world's 3rd largest ship recycler (30% market share at Alang, Gujarat)
Connection to this news: The DGS Shipbuilding Cell directly operationalises the shipbuilding pillar of MIV 2030, providing technical depth to policy goals that had until now lacked in-house maritime engineering capacity.
Sagarmala Programme
Sagarmala is the Government of India's flagship port-led development initiative under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. It aims to leverage India's 7,500 km coastline and 14,500 km of navigable waterways to drive economic development through port modernisation, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development, and enhanced coastal connectivity. As of 2025, 272 of 839 identified projects (worth ₹1.41 lakh crore) have been completed.
- Total projects identified: 839, estimated investment ~₹5.8 lakh crore
- Completed projects (as of April 2025): 272 projects worth ₹1.41 lakh crore
- Under implementation: 217 projects worth ₹1.65 lakh crore
- Target completion timeline: 2035
Connection to this news: Sagarmala's shipyard modernisation projects provide the infrastructure base within which the new Shipbuilding Cell's policy and investment facilitation work will operate.
Key Facts & Data
- India currently holds less than 1% of global shipbuilding market share
- China, South Korea, and Japan together account for ~90% of global shipbuilding
- DGS is recruiting 15 Naval Architects on contractual basis for the new Shipbuilding Cell
- Target: 5% global shipbuilding market share by 2030; top-5 nation by 2047
- India is the world's 3rd largest ship recycler with ~30% global market share at Alang (Gujarat)
- Sagarmala Programme: 839 projects, ~₹5.8 lakh crore investment; 272 completed as of 2025
- Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 envisions ~₹80 lakh crore in investments