India formally asks Samsung Heavy to join 33tr won shipbuilding cluster

The Indian government has formally asked Samsung Heavy Industries to participate in its large-scale greenfield shipbuilding cluster project. The request aligns with India's national plan to become a global shipbuilding power by adopting advanced shipbuilding technology.

On Oct. 30, Sarbananda Sonowal, India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, recently met with Choi Sung-an, Vice Chairman of Samsung Heavy Industries, in Seoul to discuss bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding. During the meeting, Minister Sonowal proposed that Samsung Heavy Industries participate in the greenfield large-scale shipbuilding cluster development being pursued by the Indian government and expand its local business, according to sources.

India is pursuing the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which aims to make India one of the world's top five shipbuilding powers by 2047. The country is concentrating national capabilities to raise its global shipbuilding market share, currently below 1%. In September last year, India approved a shipbuilding support package worth $7.8 billion (about 10.8 trillion won).

The large-scale shipbuilding cluster that Samsung Heavy Industries has been asked to join is a core infrastructure of India's maritime development policy. The Indian government plans to invest $24 billion (about 33.1 trillion won) over the next five to six years to build five new clusters and three existing facility expansion clusters in coastal areas such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.

The clusters will be built as comprehensive industrial ecosystems encompassing not only shipbuilding facilities but also parts manufacturing, equipment supply, and maritime finance. Through this, the Indian government aims to create jobs in India and increase the participation of domestic companies in the global maritime supply chain.

The Indian government expects Samsung Heavy Industries, which has world-class competitiveness in complex shipbuilding, offshore plant engineering, and eco-friendly ship technology, to be a key partner in accelerating India's maritime industry development goals. The plan is to introduce advanced ship design technology and modern construction methods to quickly raise the technological level of India's shipbuilding ecosystem.

India is expanding cooperation not only with Samsung Heavy Industries but also with the broader Korean shipbuilding industry. During his visit to Korea, Minister Sonowal also met with HD Hyundai executives to discuss building a new shipyard worth $4 billion (about 5.5 trillion won) in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. In addition, on Oct. 30, the Korea Marine Equipment Association (KOMEA) opened its first office in Mumbai, India, making the bilateral maritime partnership more concrete.

With this meeting as a momentum, bilateral cooperation discussions for the transition to eco-friendly shipping, including next-generation ships and energy efficiency technologies, are expected to accelerate. India Shipping News said, "The proposed collaboration is aimed at combining India's growing maritime ambitions with Samsung's global engineering capabilities," adding, "It seeks to link India's maritime vision with Korea's established shipbuilding expertise to create new opportunities for investment, innovation, and sustainable industrial growth."

※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.