MC EXCLUSIVE Cochin Shipyard CMD talks mega defence projects for Navy, says ready to build next aircraft carrier

On October 18, Cochin Shipyard launched Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), INS MAGDALA

We are currently executing two naval projects on the shipbuilding side — the eight-vessel Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes and the six-vessel next-generation missile vessels. The ASW-SWC vessels are in advanced stages. The first vessel should be delivered to the Navy as early as next week. In fact, we launched the sixth vessel of the ASW series (Magdala) today. The first vessel, which was launched earlier, will be delivered to the Navy within the next 10 days or so and is expected to be commissioned in November.

The Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) project is in advanced stages of design, engineering and equipment procurement. We expect to move into the fabrication stage shortly. That project will take some more time to build up.

As I mentioned, these two projects are our key contributions. While I wouldn’t say it is directly connected with Operation Sindoor, it so happens that the ASW vessel series — which we’ve been working on for some time — is now progressing rapidly. We faced challenges earlier, but they’ve been overcome.

The first vessel will be delivered very shortly. With all the learnings factored in, the subsequent vessels will be completed much faster. In terms of India’s naval capability, the ASW vessels — 8 in total — will roll out quickly as we move forward. That’s one major role we are playing. The NGMV vessels are also entering the construction phase. So, I wouldn’t say we are doing anything drastically different, but our ASW-SWC vessels are coming on stream at just the right time.

Yes.

This is a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA), an over-arching five-year agreement with the US Navy. However, within this agreement, we haven’t yet executed specific refit contracts. These cover refits of US naval assets in the region.

We’ve been in discussions but haven’t concluded any contracts yet — mainly because we wanted to ensure the first project we handle is executed flawlessly. The MSRA remains valid, and we expect to secure the first contracts soon. That said, the decision on vessel deployment lies entirely with the US Navy.

Cochin Shipyard is the only shipyard in India that has handled aircraft carrier refits for over 30 years now. This includes INS Viraat, INS Vikramaditya and even the new INS Vikrant. From a carrier refit perspective, we have deep experience and critical infrastructure in place. In terms of MRO for Indian naval assets, Cochin Shipyard can handle practically all platforms of the Indian Navy — except submarines.

We’re also re-engineering the Brahmaputra-class frigates. This ecosystem — comprising CSL, the Navy, defence PSUs and private vendors — demonstrates that India now possesses comprehensive MRO capabilities.

This is a set of six sophisticated missile vessels — agile, fast, and equipped with Indian-made missiles. I can’t share detailed specifications, but they’re complex platforms with significant indigenous content.

CSL’s defence business is currently focused on the Indian Navy. Our partnerships are primarily domestic when it comes to naval shipbuilding and refits. We are among the Navy’s most trusted partners.

Though we are not a defence PSU, our origins in the commercial space, experience with the indigenous aircraft carrier and over 300 naval refit projects make us a strong and reliable partner — thanks to our infrastructure, people and technology.

We would be extremely happy and privileged to build the next aircraft carrier. We hope that our experience from Vikrant and over three decades of carrier refit work will be fully leveraged. Cochin Shipyard — along with the engineering and design ecosystem that has evolved in India — is well-prepared for the next challenge. We await the Ministry of Defence’s decision, and we’ll be ready when the opportunity comes.

Autonomous and green technologies will play a significant role in the future — both in defence and the commercial space.

Cochin Shipyard has already built autonomous platforms for Norwegian clients, which are operational in Norway. We are now investing in developing a fully indigenous autonomous surface vessel in-house. AI will also have multiple applications across operations, though not one overarching use case.

Green propulsion, like methanol-fueled systems, will feature more prominently in our commercial projects. In fact, one of the vessels we launched today — a CSOV (Commissioning Service Operation Vessel) for a Cyprus-based client — runs on methanol.

The ASW-SWC is designed for compact submarine detection and warfare. It is equipped with advanced sensors to detect submarines. Today we launched the sixth vessel in the series, though some work remains before delivery. The first vessel in the class, Mahe, has completed trials and is ready for delivery this month. These are called the Mahe-class vessels.