Gujarat floats EoIs for 3 shipyards, mega shipbuilding cluster & 6 new ports

Gujarat has unveiled fresh plans to build three greenfield shipyards, an integrated mega shipbuilding cluster and six new ports along its coastline, setting the stage for one of the country’s biggest maritime infrastructure expansion programmes as it seeks to strengthen its position as India’s leading port and shipbuilding hub.

The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has floated two Expressions of Interest (EOIs) covering projects spread across more than 4,500 hectares, including shipyards capable of building 3-3.9 million gross tonnes (GT) of vessels annually and six greenfield ports to be developed under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.  

The proposed shipbuilding projects are spread across Gujarat’s western and southern coastline, covering locations with existing industrial ecosystems and maritime access. The three greenfield shipyards are planned at Mithapur in Devbhumi Dwarka, Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Vadhera in Amreli, while the Integrated Mega Shipbuilding Cluster is proposed at Kuchhadi in Porbandar. “The shipbuilding cluster will be set up with the help of the Government of India. We are expecting an estimated investment of ₹25,000 crore for these projects,” Ajay Kumar, Vice-Chairman and CEO of GMB told the businessline.

The largest proposed facility, the Kuchhadi Integrated Mega Shipbuilding Cluster in Porbandar, will span around 823 hectares with a 2.7-km waterfront and is planned as a larger ecosystem for shipbuilding, ship repair and ancillary marine industries. “We are also expecting significant investments from the other shipyard projects as there are many medium and small sized shipyards who want to establish their operations in the state and take advantage of the incentives under our shipbuilding policy,” Kumar added. Among the three proposed projects, the Mithapur shipyard, with around 260 hectares of identified land and a 2.3-km waterfront, is planned for medium-sized cargo vessels, offshore support vessels, tugs and barges, with an indicative capacity of 0.6-0.8 million GT annually. The Ghogha shipyard in Bhavnagar, spread across about 535 hectares with a 2.4-km waterfront, is similarly targeted at cargo vessels and offshore support vessels. Vadhera in Amreli, with around 250 hectares of initial land and a waterfront of nearly 5 km, is expected to leverage the region’s industrial base and connectivity for shipbuilding activities.

Alongside the shipbuilding projects, the maritime board has proposed six new greenfield ports at Nana Layja (Kutch), Vadhera (Amreli), Vadodra Jhala (Gir Somnath), Damka (Surat), Lakhanka (Bhavnagar) and Bhogat (Devbhumi Dwarka). The proposed ports, spread across nearly 3,200 hectares, have been identified based on preliminary feasibility studies assessing marine conditions, industrial hinterland, cargo potential and connectivity. “Currently Gujarat has over 600 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of cargo handling capacity which is 20 per cent of India’s total capacity. We want to ramp it up to 3,000 MTPA and so we are bringing up these port projects to cater to the future demand,” Kumar said. GMB’s ports handled around 484 million metric tonnes of cargo in FY26, accounting for more than 64 per cent of India’s non-major port traffic, with total non-major port capacity reaching around 608 MTPA.

The proposed greenfield ports, meanwhile, are aimed at expanding Gujarat’s cargo-handling capacity and creating new maritime gateways closer to industrial clusters. Among these, Damka near Surat is one of the larger proposed port zones with nearly 989 hectares of land and 8.2 km of waterfront, positioned to serve the chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial clusters of South Gujarat. Bhogat in Devbhumi Dwarka, spread over around 933 hectares with a 5-km of waterfront, is being considered for handling bulk commodities, petrochemicals, agro products and containerised cargo. The Nana Layja zone in Kutch, with around 412 hectares and 4.6 km waterfront, is expected to benefit from th...