India inaugurated the Indian Ship Technology Centre (ISTC) at the Indian Maritime University (IMU) Visakhapatnam campus to strengthen domestic shipbuilding and reducing reliance on foreign designs.

The ₹305 crore project was inaugurated virtually by Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during the 10th convocation of IMU held in Chennai.

The ISTC will function as a central agency for the development of India’s shipbuilding capabilities. It is designed as a hub for indigenous ship design, research, and skills training, and will operate as a single-window service provider offering consultancy, training, and policy inputs.

The centre is equipped with advanced software and design tools and will collaborate with the industry to promote new ship production methods.

The centre will provide a common platform for the shipbuilding industry by offering access to shared facilities, enabling skills development for future personnel, and creating a productive ecosystem for ship design and technology.

Sonowal said the ISTC is part of India’s “Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047” and a step toward making India one of the world’s top ten shipbuilding nations by 2030. He added that India’s maritime sector is rapidly improving, citing that turnaround time at Indian ports has reduced to 0.9 days, better than advanced maritime nations including the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Singapore.

Nine Indian ports now rank among the world’s top 100, and the ₹76,000 crore Vadhavan container port is under construction.

Cargo movement via inland waterways has grown over seven times in the past decade, and coastal waterway movement has risen by more than 150%. India’s seafarer workforce has also grown from under 1.25 lakh a decade ago to over three lakh today, making India one of the top three countries supplying seafarers.

Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Rajaa requested the government to revive cargo movement through the 796 km Buckingham Canal, a designated National Waterway that is currently unused. He noted that in the 1950s the canal used to handle half-a-million tonnes of cargo annually. Shipping Secretary TK Ramachandran responded that certain issues, including encroachments, need to be addressed before the canal’s revival.

Prof. V K Kesavadev, campus director of IMU Visakhapatnam, said the ISTC reflects IMU’s commitment to advancing the Indian maritime sector by providing innovative designs and technology for shipbuilding.

Prof. K.M. Sivakholundu, director of ISTC, expressed confidence that the centre would help India achieve the government’s goal of becoming a leading global shipbuilding nation by 2030. He stated the ISTC would follow a multipronged approach to support the industry in areas of design, consultancy, training, and policy.

The inaugural event was attended by maritime experts, practitioners, officials, faculty members, staff, and students from all six IMU campuses.

References: thehindubusinessline, newindianexpress

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