Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) — a Mini Ratna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence — took centre stage at India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025, held in Mumbai from 27–31 October. The event, organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in collaboration with the Indian Ports Association (IPA), drew policymakers, naval representatives, and global stakeholders to deliberate on India’s long-term maritime vision under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
For the Visakhapatnam-based defence shipyard, IMW 2025 was more than a display of technical competence — it was a statement of intent. The shipyard’s participation reflected how India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) enterprises are moving towards strategic self-reliance, technological innovation, and global engagement, in line with the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat framework.
Reaffirming Public Sector Strength in Maritime Capability
Established in 1941 and brought under the administrative control of the MoD in 2010, HSL has a distinguished legacy in shipbuilding, repair, and submarine refit for the Indian Navy. At IMW 2025, its exhibition stall, inaugurated by Commodore Girideep Singh, IN (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), showcased the shipyard’s growing range — from naval auxiliaries and tugs to green propulsion technologies and upcoming commercial projects.
Senior management and technical experts from HSL also participated in policy panels on defence-industrial collaboration, ship repair capacity enhancement, and digital transformation, highlighting the evolving role of defence PSUs as national enablers of maritime industrialisation.
Strategic Collaborations for Green and Digital Growth
A key highlight of HSL’s participation was the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Technology Partnership Agreements, positioning the shipyard at the forefront of India’s green maritime transition. With the Indian Ports Association (IPA), for the development of hydrogen tugs under the Government’s Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP). With Lotus Wireless India Pvt. Ltd. (LWT) – to advance electric and hybrid propulsion technologies for tugs and port craft.
The Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS) to co-develop training modules in AI, robotics, AR/VR, and additive manufacturing for the maritime workforce. With the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) for the construction of a 60-tonne bollard pull conventional tug. With Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), for the repair and maintenance support of DCI vessels at HSL. With MCI World LLC, Dubai, to promote HSL’s ship repair business across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), extending India’s industrial footprint into a vital maritime corridor. These partnerships exemplify how defence PSUs are expanding their technical scope beyond traditional naval platforms to encompass sustainable, digitally driven, and internationally collaborative projects.
Building Capacity for the Future
As India scales up its maritime ambitions, HSL is undertaking a comprehensive modernisation and capacity augmentation programme. This includes infrastructure upgrades to support the construction of larger vessels, advanced retrofits, and next-generation refit facilities.
The shipyard is also exploring the establishment of a greenfield facility in Andhra Pradesh, designed to handle both defence and commercial shipbuilding needs. The new yard will expand India’s heavy fabrication and assembly capabilities, shorten delivery timelines, and create new industrial linkages with regional ports and suppliers.
At the Andhra Pradesh State Session on Shipbuilding, HSL joined state officials, including B.C. Janardhan Reddy, Minister (Industries & Investment), and M.T. Krishna Babu, IAS, Special Chief Secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, to discuss investment and maritime ecosystem development. The dialogue reflected a growing convergence between state-led industrial policy and national defence manufacturing goals.
Enabling Maritime Policy and Financial Reform
In parallel with its industrial initiatives, HSL actively participated in Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) deliberations on reforming key maritime policy frameworks. These included the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS), the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS), and the Credit Risk Coverage mechanisms — all critical enablers of India’s shipbuilding expansion.
Drawing on its experience as a public-sector operator, HSL contributed practical recommendations to enhance financial access, risk-sharing, and policy incentives for both public and private yards. This policy-level engagement reinforces the MoD’s objective of ensuring that India’s shipbuilding ecosystem grows in an integrated, self-sustaining manner.
MoD’s Industrial Diplomacy at Work
HSL’s partnership with MCI World LLC, Dubai, marks a notable development in India’s shipbuilding diplomacy. By entering the MENA repair and maintenance market, the MoD enterprise aims to participate in the post-Suez refit corridor, a region traditionally serviced by European yards.
Rather than pursuing commercial expansion in isolation, the collaboration represents institutional cooperation between state-linked entities and aligns with India’s broader policy of building strategic industrial partnerships with friendly nations. The engagement also opens avenues for technology exchange in automation, propulsion, and systems integration, complementing HSL’s modernisation drive in Visakhapatnam.
Officials familiar with the initiative describe it as a measured extension of the MoD’s industrial outreach, combining self-reliance with export capability and cooperative engagement.
Towards Maritime Amrit Kaal
Through its participation at IMW 2025, HSL reaffirmed its commitment to defence-industry integration, indigenous capability, and environmental sustainability — three core pillars of the Government’s Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
The shipyard’s expanding partnerships in green propulsion, digital training, and regional collaboration embody the next phase of public sector reform: turning legacy defence enterprises into agile, globally connected institutions that contribute to both national security and economic growth.
As India positions itself as a net provider of maritime security and industrial capability across the Indo-Pacific, the transformation of HSL represents more than an organisational milestone. It symbolises the evolution of India’s state-owned defence industry into an outward-looking, innovation-driven ecosystem that will anchor the country’s maritime aspirations for decades to come.
From Visakhapatnam to Dubai, HSL’s story at IMW 2025 is not one of commercial competition — but of public sector leadership, strategic self-reliance, and the steady outward expansion of India’s maritime capability under the Ministry of Defence.