Mumbai-based defence company Sagar Defence Engineering on Thursday laid the foundation stone for what will become the world's first Autonomous Maritime Shipbuilding and Systems Centre at the Juvvaladinne fishing harbour in Andhra Pradesh.
The foundation stone was laid by the state IT and education minister, Nara Lokesh, in the presence of senior government officials and defence industry leaders.
An autonomous shipyard is a highly advanced shipyard where robotics and AI are used extensively to optimise key production steps, improve workforce capabilities, and better meet sustainability goals.
Located along the Bay of Bengal, the proposed facility is expected to utilise its proximity to key maritime routes on India's eastern coast.
The new facility is also expected to boost India's prowess in autonomous maritime technologies, shipbuilding, and unmanned systems development.
29.58 acres of land have been allocated for Phase 1 of the project by the Andra Pradesh government, which includes 7.58 acres of waterfront land and 22 acres of harbour land, as per a Deccan Chronicle report.
The autonomous #shipyard will be a crucial addition to India's efforts to modernise its maritime ecosystem under the #maritime Vision 2030 and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. #maritimenews #defencenews #AndhraNewshttps://t.co/WlMYbvvUYk
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This land will comprise autonomous shipbuilding facilities, testing infrastructure, an R&D centre, a ship maintenance and repair facility (MRO), and a specialised training hub—all within a single campus.
According to Saurabh Patil, Director (R&D) at Sagar Defence, the new facility aims to develop Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) for missions such as maritime surveillance, coastal security, logistics support and environmental monitoring, the report added.
It would also work on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for underwater reconnaissance, seabed mapping and scientific research, and is expected to become one of the first few facilities in India to employ the digital twin technology, after the V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tuticorin.
Apart from benefiting local and naval vessel repair and reducing downtime, the new centre is also expected to generate about 300 jobs locally, in addition to indirect employment for many more.
