Visakhapatnam will emerge as national hub for ship design and research, says Sarbananda Sonowal

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterway Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday (January 09, 2026) said that the decision to develop the ship building cluster was taken during the recent visit of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to Delhi. An SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) was signed by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) and the A.P. Maritime Board in this regard.

He was speaking at the inaugural of the 3rd Indian Lighthouse Festival, organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways and the Director General of Lighthouses and Lightships at the MGM Park, on the Beach Road, here, on Friday evening.

He also said that ₹305 crore Indian Ship Technology Centre would be set up in Visakhapatnam, under the Indian Maritime University (IMU). He said that Visakhapatnam would emerge as a national hub for ship design and research.

He pointed out that India’s Blue Economy is aligned with the Maritime Vision, which aims to position India as a global maritime power across all verticals including ship building, ship repair, recycling, port capacity and operational efficiency.

The Ministry has undertaken several transformative initiatives in Andhra Pradesh, he said, adding that one of the most ambitious was the development of a Greenfield Port and National Mega Ship building Cluster at Dugarajupatnam. It would have a capacity of 5,00,000 GT and contribute to the Prime Minister’s “Amrit Kal” vision of making among top five maritime nations in the world.