India Eyes Global Shipbuilding Hub With Rs 3,500 Crore Expansion

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 23, 2026, asserted India's potential to become a global shipbuilding hub while inaugurating five brownfield expansion projects worth approximately Rs 3,500 crore in West Bengal. The projects aim to significantly boost the nation's shipbuilding, ship repair, and indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.

Speaking virtually from Kolkata, Mr. Singh laid the foundation for three expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and two projects of Yantra India Limited (YIL). The event was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and other senior officials. The defence minister highlighted a global "capacity paradox" where rising demand for naval and commercial vessels coincides with a decline in shipbuilding capacity in several traditional Western nations. He identified this gap as a major opportunity for India.

"The demand for all types of vessels has been growing. Our navy is also expanding and so are the challenges in maritime defence," Mr. Singh stated, noting that countries like the UK had once expanded empires through maritime power but have seen reduced shipbuilding capacities in recent years....