Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) is the biggest place in India where they make and fix ships. It’s in Kochi, Kerala, and does things like building special ships and oil tankers. They even made the first Indian Navy aircraft carrier called INS Vikrant. The company is important and has a special status called Miniratna.
History
Cochin Shipyard started in 1972 as a company owned by the Indian government. They began their first set of facilities in 1982.
In August 2012, the Indian government shared plans to sell part of Cochin Shipyard to raise money for growth. They aimed to collect ₹15 billion through an initial public offering (IPO) by the end of the fiscal year. The decision to sell was confirmed on November 18, 2015, with 33.9 million shares up for sale, including 113,000 government-held shares and new ones. However, it didn’t happen until August 2017, when Cochin Shipyard had its IPO and listed its shares on the BSE and NSE.
Activities
The shipyard can make ships weighing up to 1,10,000 tons and fix ships weighing up to 1,25,000 tons.
Shipbuilding
The first ship made by Cochin Shipyard was the MV Rani Padmini in 1981. They have also completed two big double-hull Aframax tankers, each weighing 95,000 tons.
Cochin Shipyard is busy with shipbuilding orders from famous companies in Europe and the Middle East. They are currently working on six bulk carriers for the Clipper Group in the Bahamas, each weighing 30,000 tons. Additionally, they are building eight platform supply vessels for the Norwegian Seatankers Management Company.
INS Vikrant
Cochin Shipyard created India’s first homegrown aircraft carrier called INS Vikrant. It’s the initial aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy made entirely in India. This carrier is the biggest warship built by CSL. In February 2020, they finished all the major building and outfitting work. Sea trials started on August 4, and after a successful five-day trial ending on August 8, 2021, the ship was officially commissioned on September 2, 2022.
Ship Repair
Since 1982, Cochin Shipyard has been fixing ships, providing services like upgrades and repairs. They’ve worked on various ship types, including those for oil exploration, and conducted maintenance and life extension for the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Lakshadweep, Fisheries, Cochin Port Trust, SCI, and ONGC. Notably, they’ve done significant overhauls for the aircraft carriers INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya in 2016 and 2018 respectively. Recently, CSL got important maintenance and upgrade orders from ONGC, involving the overhaul of three rigs – Sagar Vijay, Sagar Bhushan, and Sagar Kiran.