Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal visits Cochin Shipyard on Monday.
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin

Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated advanced machinery to enhance shipbuilding facilities at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) here on Monday. He also presided at the steel-cutting ceremony for two tugs under the Green Tug Transition Programme to decarbonise the maritime sector in the country. The Minister reviewed the progress of work on India’s largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger for the Dredging Corporation of India being built by CSL.

The ProArc CNC Plasma Cum Oxy Fuel Plate Cutting Machine, an advanced industry machinery, inaugurated by the Minister on Monday will add to CSL’s shipbuilding capabilities substantially. The facility allows real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and increased production efficiency, said a press release from CSL here.

India’s largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger under construction at Cochin Shipyard.
| Photo Credit:
R.K. Nithin

The Minister said: “The launch of Industry 4.0-ready facilities and the Green Tug Transition Programme mark a transformative leap in India’s shipbuilding and green maritime journey”. These initiatives reinforce our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global competitiveness in the maritime sector, he added.