The forthcoming summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi early next month is expected to feature high-level discussions on Moscow’s participation in developing shipbuilding and ship-repair clusters in India, particularly in Chennai and Mumbai.
Nikolay Patrushev, Aide to the President of Russia and Chairman of the Maritime Board of Russia, said that Russia sees “reasonable potential” in establishing such clusters in key Indian maritime hubs. “It would be reasonable to consider establishing shipbuilding and ship-repair clusters with Russian participation in such important economic areas as Mumbai or Chennai,” he said during a visit to New Delhi.
Patrushev is in India to prepare for the upcoming bilateral summit. He held meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, National Maritime Security Coordinator Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, and Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.
Officials discussed strengthening cooperation in the civilian maritime sector, with a focus on shipbuilding, port infrastructure, maritime logistics, crew training and joint research on the “World Ocean.”
Patrushev highlighted Russia’s willingness to offer India a range of ship designs, from fishing, passenger and auxiliary vessels to specialised ships. “We have extensive experience in creating specialised ships — such as ice-class vessels, not to mention icebreakers, where Russia has no rivals whatsoever,” he noted. He added that green shipbuilding presented a particularly strong avenue for collaboration, aligning with India’s strategic priorities in the sector.
He also pointed to Russia’s technological strengths, citing the Krylov State Research Centre in St. Petersburg — a long-standing maritime research institution that is set to evolve into a national research centre bringing together multiple scientific organisations.
Work on creating a joint database of standardised shipbuilding designs between the two countries is “highly promising,” Patrushev said, adding that it could significantly lower India’s costs in modernising its fleet.
The Modi–Putin summit is expected to chart a new course in India–Russia maritime cooperation at a time when New Delhi is seeking to expand domestic shipbuilding capacity and strengthen supply-chain resilience across its ports and coastal infrastructure.
