Marking yet another significant feat in Indian shipbuilding, the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kerala announced that it delivered a new multi-purpose cargo vessel, ‘MS Heinz’, to a German shipowner.
This move is expected to further strengthen India’s growing presence in the global shipbuilding market.
On Thursday, CSL said it delivered ‘MS Heinz’, the first vessel in the HS EcoFreighter series of Multi-Purpose Vessels, to HS Schiffahrts UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG, Germany, on January 12, 2026.
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The delivery was formalised through a virtual signing of the Delivery and Acceptance Protocol between S. Harikrishnan, Director (Operations), CSL, and Heinz Josef Schepers, Director, HS Schiffahrts, in the presence of senior officials from both sides, the shipmaker stated.
Vessel design and capabilities
MS Heinz is designed by Groot Ship Design of the Netherlands and built at CSL in line with the classification rules of DNV, a leading international classification society.
The 7,000 DWT HS EcoFreighter is an ice-class vessel capable of worldwide trading and can carry project and heavy cargo, steel coils, containers, timber, paper, dry bulk such as coal and grain, and dangerous goods.
The vessel features a raked stem with the “Groot Cross-Bow” design and a transom stern, a combination aimed at improving speed and fuel efficiency.
It has a single large cargo hold fitted with six movable panels, allowing flexible cargo configurations including grain bulkheads at multiple positions and a tween deck arrangement for different cargo types.
Propulsion is provided by a medium-speed four-stroke diesel engine driving a controllable pitch propeller through a reduction gearbox, balancing power, efficiency and manoeuvrability.
Strategic importance
The successful delivery of MS Heinz marked an important step in CSL’s expanding footprint in the international commercial shipbuilding space, beyond its well-known defence and domestic projects.
It also showcased CSL’s growing capability to build technologically advanced, versatile merchant vessels for global customers, reinforcing India’s reputation as a competitive shipbuilding hub.
“The delivery of MS Heinz marks an important milestone in Cochin Shipyard Limited’s expanding presence in the international commercial shipbuilding market and reflects CSL’s growing capabilities in constructing technologicallyadvanced and versatile merchant vessels for global owners,” read an official statement from CSL.
