The Indian Ministry of Shipping has instructed all the major ports to procure or charter tug boats manufactured only in India. This initiative is taken to promote ship building in India. The new purchases of tug boats done by the major ports would now need to be carried out as per the revised ‘Make in India’ order.
Shri Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) said that the Government is taking 360 degree actions to revive old shipyards and promote shipbuilding in India. It is a step towards bolstering the revival of Indian Ship building and a big move towards AatmaNirbhar Shipping in AatmaNirbhar Bharat. The Government will try to create an ecosystem for shipbuilding, ship repair, ship recycling and flagging in India. AatmaNirbhar Shipping is going to be the order in the coming times.
To simplify the process it is proposed to set up a Standing Specifications Committee under Managing Director, Indian Ports Association and comprising representatives from Cochin Ship Yard Limited (CSL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and Director General of Shipping. This committee will help align Procurement/chartering of port crafts under Make in India Order to promote shipbuilding in India
The Standing Specifications Committee will shortlist kinds of tugs and put together a ‘Approved StandardizedTug Design and Specifications.’ (ASTDS). This ASTDS would define specifications, general arrangements, simple calculations, basic structural drawings, key system drawings and different construction standards, etc.
These requirements might be vetted via means of the Standing Specifications Committee and, thereafter, certified ‘in-principle’ by IRS and published by the Indian Ports Association on its platform. The Ministry may even offer a window to Major Ports so that construction time would be availed.
We have seen recently that the Government owned Cochin Shipyard Limited has successfully grabbed the order for two automatic vessels from Norwegian Government. These will be the first of its kind unmanned vessels. Various decisions taken by the Ministry of Shipping will turn around the Ship Building sector in the near future.