Maharashtra is set to emerge as a major shipbuilding hub with the development of India’s largest shipyard at Dighi Port in Raigad district, involving an investment of ₹26,500 crore and expected to generate employment for around 50,000 people.
Maharashtra Minister for Fisheries and Port Development Nitesh Rane announced on Monday that a tripartite agreement involving Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the Central Government and the Maharashtra Government has been finalised for the mega project.
The shipyard will be developed as part of a specialised Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster at Dighi Port in the coastal Konkan region. Speaking at the inaugural session of FICCI’s Maritime India Conference & Expo 2026, Rane described the project as a significant milestone in Maharashtra’s efforts to accelerate maritime infrastructure development and strengthen its port-led economic growth.
Rane also announced that Maharashtra would soon unveil a comprehensive maritime development policy aimed at making the state one of the most investor-friendly destinations for maritime investments.
“Maharashtra will soon unveil a comprehensive maritime development policy, which will serve as the most investor-friendly framework in the country. Investors will receive red carpet treatment and single-window clearance,” he said.
Highlighting the state’s progress in attracting maritime investments, Rane said that every memorandum of understanding signed by Maharashtra at last year’s India Maritime Summit had subsequently translated into an actual investment.
He added that the state had introduced a specialised policy covering shipbuilding, ship repair and shipbreaking within its first 100 days in office. The policy aims to streamline environmental clearances, reduce project development timelines and facilitate land acquisition to accelerate maritime projects.
Addressing the conference, Vijay Sankar, President-Elect of FICCI and Chairman of Sanmar Group, said India’s major ports had handled a record 915 million tonnes of cargo during 2025-26, registering 7 per cent growth and exceeding the targeted volume.
He described the Union Government’s ₹70,000 crore package for shipbuilding and the maritime sector as a significant opportunity for states to expand their maritime manufacturing capabilities.
“India’s maritime transformation is not simply an infrastructure story. It is a story of economic competitiveness, strategic capability and national ambition,” Sankar said.
He outlined three key priorities identified by FICCI members: developing infrastructure as an integrated system, ensuring that private industry investment matches policy support, and retaining greater value from India’s international trade, including increasing the share of Indian cargo transported on Indian-flagged vessels.
The Netherlands, the official Partner Country of the conference, is also using the platform to strengthen bilateral cooperation in sustainable and digital maritime infrastructure.
H.E. Thierry Van Helden, Consul and Deputy Head of Mission at the Netherlands Consulate General in Mumbai, said the real challenge for the India–Netherlands Green and Digital Sea Corridor would be to translate its ambitions into commercially viable projects.
He also announced that a dedicated Dutch shipbuilding delegation would visit India in February 2027 to explore opportunities for collaboration.
The proposed Dighi shipyard, together with Maharashtra’s planned maritime policy initiatives and growing international partnerships, is expected to strengthen India’s domestic shipbuilding ecosystem, create large-scale employment and support the country’s ambition to become a competitive global maritime manufacturing destination.