KOLKATA
Forever bound to its seas, India has had a glorious maritime past. Waters continue to shape the country’s present and future, with India’s trade arteries, energy flows and strategic interests deeply tied to the oceans. Yet, over time, the dominance India once enjoyed slowly diminished, even as its civilisational and trade ties to the seas continued. As its prosperity and security are closely linked to the oceans, protecting maritime trade routes and strategic waters has become imperative for India amid growing geopolitical uncertainties and shifting power equations.
India’s maritime defence sector has been progressing at an unprecedented pace in the past few years, in line with the rapid technological advancements taking place across the world. These were taken note of at the ‘Sagar Sankalp–Reclaiming India’s Maritime Glory’, a high-level maritime defence dialogue organised by THE WEEK in association with GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers) and supported by Bharat Forge, Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), Marine Electricals, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited. Various industry leaders and stakeholders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, concurred at the dialogue that while the country’s maritime defence sector has made much progress, there are still many nautical miles to cover to reclaim the lost glory.
The coming together of THE WEEK—which, as Chief Associate Editor & Director Riyad Mathew pointed out, has made defence and maritime reporting its forte with dedicated website sections—and GRSE, a leading warship maker, marks a collaboration that could meaningfully advance India’s maritime defence ecosystem at a time when the government is intensifying its push for self-reliance in defence and shipbuilding under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
During the day-long event at the ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata on March 6, discussions focused on leveraging India’s maritime past through the use of cutting-edge technologies, boosting indigenisation and ancillary support for shipbuilding, and creating a future-ready maritime force under the ‘Make in India’ vision.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who delivered the keynote address and set the tone for the talks to follow, reiterated the importance of achieving Atmanirbharta in the maritime defence and allied sectors. He said, “Self-reliance is the only way to stay relevant and ready in the present era of uncertainty.” From design and engineering to construction and lifecycle support, the Indian shipbuilding industry is making warships and submarines for the Indian Navy, the defence minister said, and called this a major leap towards Atmanirbharta. “Self-reliance is no longer just a slogan; it is being established as a practical reality. A builder’s navy is not a slogan; it is a ground reality.”
Singh listed the structural and policy reforms implemented by the government to enhance defence production both qualitatively and quantitatively, with special emphasis on transparency, financial discipline, performance benchmarking, and research and development. “The Indian Navy’s readiness, the success of operations like Operation Sindoor, and the steps towards self-reliance indicate that India’s defence sector is moving in the right direction. If we work together to advance this maritime vision, in the years to come, India will not only safeguard its interests but also make a significant contribution to global maritime stability,” said the minister.
Commodore P.R. Hari (retd), chairman and managing director of GRSE, who presented the theme of the day, pointed out that from INS Ajay of the 1960s to its highly advanced modern namesake, there has been exponential growth in the maritime defence and related sectors. Nonetheless, India has yet to achieve its full potential. Pointing out that there is an urgent need to ramp up India’s shipbuilding capability to achieve the target of reaching the ranks of the top shipbuilding nations, he gave a call to the ancillary industries to rise to the occasion and support shipbuilding. He also underscored the importance of strengthening skill sets, saying, “Even today, the skill sets that are available are just enough to meet the existing demand. With the demand expected to take a huge leap in the coming years, it is imperative that we focus on skill development.”
A nation does not obtain sovereignty when it builds ships, but achieves it when it controls the technologies that power the ships, observed Baba Kalyani, chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge. “We are entering an age of innovation, indigenous design, development, manufacturing, co-creation and co-production, where Indian industry must provide niche and disruptive technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and armaments,” he said.
Both industry leaders highlighted the strides India has been making in warship building and how the country is steadily transitioning from a buyer’s navy into a builder’s navy. They emphasised that innovation, indigenous manufacturing, and a robust supply chain will be the key to strengthening India’s maritime power and realising the ambitions of Maritime India
Vision 2030 and the more ambitious Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur also observed that the maritime sector is witnessing a historic revival and listed the government initiatives to boost development in the domain. “India stands at a decisive moment in its maritime journey,” he said. “The vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very clear: to transform India into a global maritime hub and a leading maritime power. The theme of today’s event perfectly captures this aspiration through a strong partnership between the government, industry, innovators and maritime professionals.” He congratulated THE WEEK and GRSE for bringing together various stakeholders in the sector for a very timely and relevant summit.
The speakers of the day—Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, controller of warship production and acquisition, Indian Navy; Commodore Sanjay Deshpande (retd), deputy managing director, Titagarh Naval Systems Ltd; and Rajesh Kumar, special secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—highlighted the rapid progress made by the maritime defence and allied sectors in recent years and called for greater technology adoption to accelerate India’s march towards self-reliance.
Vice Admiral Sadhu tracked the growth of the sector in the past few decades and gave a call to the industry to continue adopting advanced technologies to support the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision while also focusing on skill development.
Commodore Deshpande pointed out how shipbuilding strengthens the entire supply chain of a nation. He called for greater collaboration between the Indian Navy and the maritime industry, private and public shipyards, research institutes and technology developers, domestic suppliers and global partners to build a resilient shipbuilding ecosystem in the country.
Kumar highlighted the policy reforms made in the past few years, aimed at positioning India as a global maritime powerhouse. While the sector has a very glamorous part, it also has a dangerous side, Kumar said, and asked naval cadets to develop good friendships and family ties and interact with veterans in the sector, as the job that the cadets have is extremely challenging.
The event also saw a series of panel discussions, which featured senior naval officers, policymakers, shipyard executives, maritime industry leaders, and experts from research, regulatory and technology institutions. They underscored the need to expand India’s shipbuilding capacity through better infrastructure, technology adoption, skilled manpower, and supportive policy frameworks to fast-track the process of self-reliance. The discussions revolved around identifying avenues and opportunities to position India as a competitive global destination for shipbuilding and ship repair through progressive port policies, regulatory reforms, and industrial collaboration between major players in the maritime defence sector, MSMEs and ancillary industries.
The first panel of the day examined the theme, ‘Securing the Seas: Aligning Naval Shipbuilding with Geopolitical Realities.’ The members looked into how evolving geopolitical divides and persistent grey-zone maritime challenges are reshaping force structures and shipbuilding priorities. The panel members examined how India’s shipbuilding ecosystem, which includes design, construction, combat systems integration and lifecycle support, can be leveraged to position India as a credible partner to European and other global navies. The panel concluded that indigenisation is the mantra that needs to be followed in letter and spirit.
The second panel focused on ‘Building Sovereignty at Sea: The Strategic Imperative of a Domestic Ancillary Ecosystem.’ The speakers highlighted the importance of increasing capital investment, regular upskilling of human resources, and fostering collaboration among MSMEs and ancillary industries. “For fulfilling the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision, the government policies are only a spark. The fuel needs to come from the entire ecosystem, which runs the show,” observed Biju George, director (shipping), Mazagon Dock Ltd. The discussion focused on why true self-reliance in naval shipbuilding depends not only on shipyards but also on the depth, resilience, and technological maturity of the domestic industry, and the importance of aligning the domestic shipbuilding industry with global standards.
The next panel of the day examined the theme ‘Expanding the Fleet: Enhancing the Range and Scale of Shipbuilding Capability,’ emphasising infrastructure readiness, technology adoption, skill development and policy frameworks required to enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities and position the country as a future-ready shipbuilding hub. The panellists explored the opportunities for the Indian shipbuilding sector driven by emerging global trade, the energy transition and fleet-renewal requirements.
The final panel explored the theme ‘Destination India: Ports, Policy and Industry in Building a Globally Competitive Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Ecosystem’. The panellists observed that India is emerging as the world’s favourite destination for both shipbuilding and ship repair, and called for improvements in the commercial shipbuilding ecosystem in the country. They also highlighted the importance of micro-innovation and collaboration in the sector as India seeks to cement its position as a maritime power.
Ending the maritime defence conclave on a powerful note, Commodore Jayanta Chowdhury, adviser to the CMD, GRSE, invoked the timeless spirit of seafaring and India’s maritime resurgence. “Today, at this historic Sagar Sankalp summit, we did not remain anchored in complacency; we unfolded the sails, charted bold courses, and steered the destiny of India’s maritime resurgence....As we depart, let us carry the spirit of Sagar Sankalp in our hearts to build, to dominate the seas, and to reclaim India’s resplendent maritime glory.”
The message was received Lima Charlie. The voyage towards maritime resurgence will demand innovation, indigenisation and collective effort. However, with the winds of policy resolve, industrial capability enhancement and strategic vision to support it, India appears ready to sail confidently towards reclaiming its former glory.
Road to global maritime dominance
At the Sagar Sankalp conclave, DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH outlined a bold roadmap for India to reclaim its historical maritime prestige. Ten critical takeaways from his address:
◆ Under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, India aims to become one of the top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030, and break into the top 5 by 2047.
◆ The government plans to invest Rs3 lakh crore to develop specialised shipbuilding clusters across the country to boost domestic manufacturing.
◆ India is targeting a massive jump in defence exports, aiming to reach Rs50,000 crore by 2030, up from last year’s Rs24,000 crore.
◆ A major shift is under way to increase private sector participation in the defence ecosystem to 50 per cent, with 25 per cent of all defence supplies expected to originate from private companies.
◆ Indian shipyards are transitioning to “future-ready” facilities by adopting AI-enabled optimisation, digital ship design, modular construction and green technologies.
◆ Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) is doing excellent Atmanirbhar efforts, having built nearly 790 vessels, including over 110 warships.
◆ Oceans are now the primary centres of global power and trade, making maritime strength inseparable from national security and economic growth.
◆ Reviving India’s ancient shipbuilding legacy, using the nation’s deep-rooted maritime knowledge as a foundation for modern excellence, is essential.
◆ Strengthening Defence Public Sector Undertakings remains a priority, with a specific focus on improving their global competitiveness and operational efficiency.
◆ The development of defence industrial corridors and shipbuilding clusters is expected to be a major engine for innovation and large-scale employment generation.