Renowned Indian ship designer Antony Prince has called for a major shift in India’s maritime strategy, urging policymakers to prioritise indigenous ship design capabilities as part of the country’s broader Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision.
Prince, President and CEO of Smart Engineering and Design Solutions Pvt Ltd, said in an interview that ship design — the core foundation of maritime engineering — has been overlooked in policy frameworks, and this must change if India wants to compete on the global stage. He argued that without strong domestic design expertise, Indian yards will remain dependent on foreign intellectual property and second-rate designs, undermining competitiveness and export potential.
“Design is the foundation on which a ship is built. The entire profitability or success of a project depends on the design,” Prince said, stressing that local designers must be integrated into both domestic and export projects to build long-term capability. He noted that current policies marginalise Indian designers, often disqualifying them from major projects due to rigid criteria that favour established global firms.
Under new government guidelines for the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme, state aid for shipyards is now linked to domestic content thresholds — but Prince insists that ship design itself should be explicitly counted as domestic content to unlock broader support and growth.
India’s shipbuilding ambitions are part of a larger effort to strengthen its maritime sector under Maritime India Vision 2030, which seeks to expand shipyard capacity and capture a larger share of the global market. Government targets include building up domestic industrial bases and boosting private participation in ship design and construction.
Prince, who also leads the Indian Marine Designers Association (IMDA), warned that without decisive backing and clear policy support, local designers risk being sidelined, slowing India’s drive for maritime self-reliance and innovation.