Global Harit Nauka Summit 2026
Maritime News India : As global shipbuilding realigns under geopolitical tension, green transition mandates, and supply chain diversification, India’s maritime leadership will convene on February 24, 2026, at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai, for the International Shipbuilding Conference hosted by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Branded the Global Harit Nauka Summit: Trust, Collaborate, Impact, the gathering arrives at a decisive moment for India’s maritime industrial ambitions.
India ranks among the world’s leading maritime trade nations, handling over a billion tonnes of cargo annually across its 200+ major and non-major ports. Yet in global shipbuilding, its footprint remains limited—accounting for less than 1% of commercial newbuilding tonnage.
| Country | Global Share | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| China | 45–50% | Scale, state-backed finance, integration |
| South Korea | 25–30% | LNG carriers, high-value vessels |
| Japan | 15–20% | Advanced container and specialty ships |
| India | <1% | Offshore, repair, coastal niches |
East Asia continues to define the economics, financing architecture, and production scale of global ship construction. The central question before India is not whether it can replicate that dominance immediately—but whether it can build a competitive pathway aligned with its structural strengths.
Why 2026 Matters
This year’s summit unfolds against three converging global forces.
Supply chain diversification is prompting shipowners to reassess concentration risk, even as East Asia remains dominant.
IMO decarbonisation mandates, targeting net-zero emissions around 2050 and operationalised through frameworks such as EEXI and CII, are accelerating demand for retrofits and alternative-fuel vessels.
Indo-Pacific security recalibrations are reinforcing the strategic value of domestic shipbuilding capability.
Together, these forces compress the strategic timeline for India’s shipbuilding ambitions.
Leadership at the Policy–Industry Nexus
The conference will be chaired by Rajiv Jalota, former Chairman of Mumbai Port Authority and former Director General of Shipping, and co-chaired by B.K. Tyagi, Chairman and Managing Director of the Shipping Corporation of India. Shyam Jagannathan, IAS, Director General of Shipping, will attend as a distinguished guest.
Key speakers include Dr. Malini V. Shankar (Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University), Vice Admiral Ankur Sharma (Naval Dockyard Mumbai), P.K. Mishra (MD, IRClass), Uday Ganivada (DNV India), Prasad Gadkari (NIIF), and senior state secretaries from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (with some confirmations pending).
The composition of participants reflects an effort to align regulation, capital, technology, and state-level execution within a single industrial conversation.
Finance Before Fabrication
Shipbuilding is fundamentally a financing equation.
Chinese and South Korean yards benefit from structured export credit systems, long-tenure capital, and tightly integrated supply chains that reduce risk for international buyers over 24–36 month build cycles.
Indian yards, while technically capable in several segments, face comparatively higher capital costs and limited maritime financing depth. The summit’s explicit emphasis on financial architecture signals recognition that competitiveness begins with cost of capital.
Without narrowing this financing differential, expansion will remain constrained regardless of technical capacity.
Regulation and Cluster Coherence
Ease of doing business in shipbuilding depends not merely on regulatory simplification but on predictability—clear timelines, coordinated state frameworks, and infrastructure readiness.
Fragmented maritime clusters dilute competitiveness. Integrated ecosystems combining ports, fabrication facilities, supplier networks, and logistics infrastructure enhance investor confidence.
State participation at the summit is expected to address how cluster alignment can evolve from policy aspiration into execution.
Productivity and Skills in a Technological Era
Modern shipyards compete on precision, automation, and digital integration—not labour volume alone.
Digital twin modelling, robotics, and advanced propulsion systems increasingly define international benchmarks. Indian Maritime University and industry partners are expected to emphasise workforce modernisation aligned with these demands.
Classification authorities such as IRClass and DNV will reinforce the importance of export-grade compliance and global safety standards, essential for credibility in international markets.
Strategic Specialisation Over Scale
Direct competition in ultra-large container vessels or LNG carriers is unlikely to define India’s near-term trajectory. Instead, targeted specialisation may offer a pragmatic pathway.
Offshore and Coastal Segments: Offshore support vessels, dredgers, and mid-sized commercial ships align with domestic demand and regional trade corridors.
Ship Repair and Retrofitting: India’s proximity to major Indian Ocean sea lanes provides a natural advantage for dry dock services, EEXI/CII upgrades, and conversions to LNG, methanol, or ammonia-ready configurations.
Modular Fabrication: Participation in global supply chains through component and module production allows capacity building without full-vessel exposure.
Defence Spillover: Expanding naval shipbuilding capability offers technological depth that can support specialised commercial niches.
These segments emphasise value creation rather than volume replication.
Collaboration as Acceleration
International partnerships may accelerate capability development. Engagements with global shipping lines, classification societies, and technology providers can embed Indian yards within broader production networks while strengthening technical depth.
Collaboration does not substitute for domestic reform—it complements it.
Risk Discipline
Opportunity must be matched with discipline.
Global order cycles remain volatile. Steel price fluctuations affect margins. East Asian overcapacity can suppress pricing. Emerging producers such as Vietnam and Turkey are expanding rapidly.
Capacity growth must align with sustainable order visibility and financing support.
The Three-to-Five-Year Test
For India to transition from maritime throughput strength to shipbuilding influence, the next five years will be decisive.
Key indicators include:
- Establishment of competitive maritime finance frameworks
- Reduction in regulatory approval timelines
- Growth in export-oriented mid-sized vessel orders
- Expansion of green retrofit and conversion capabilities
- Consolidation of maritime clusters into coherent industrial ecosystems
The February 24 deliberations offer an opportunity to articulate a coherent national shipbuilding thesis—one that aligns finance, regulation, clusters, and green transition into a measurable roadmap.
In shipbuilding, scale follows structure.
Structure follows strategy.
On February 24, India has the opportunity to define both.
What the Industry is Expecting Each Dignitary Must Focus On
Shyam Jagannathan
Director General, Directorate General of Shipping
Likely focus:
- Regulatory simplification
- Alignment with IMO decarbonisation norms
- Compliance readiness for EEXI and CII frameworks
- Strengthening India’s maritime governance credibility
As regulator, his remarks may set the tone for regulatory certainty and global compliance positioning.
Rajiv Jalota
Conference Chairman; Former Chairman, Mumbai Port Authority
Likely focus:
- Port-shipyard ecosystem integration
- Infrastructure readiness for maritime clusters
- Lessons from port governance reforms
- Linking shipbuilding with logistics competitiveness
His perspective bridges ports and industrial policy.
B.K. Tyagi
CMD, Shipping Corporation of India
Likely focus:
- Shipowner expectations
- Cost competitiveness
- Fleet modernisation
- Financing and delivery reliability
As head of a major shipping company, he represents demand-side realities.
Dr. Malini V. Shankar
Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University
Likely focus:
- Workforce modernisation
- Digital ship design skills
- Advanced marine engineering curriculum
- Future-ready maritime talent
Skill depth will be central to competitiveness.
Vice Admiral Ankur Sharma
Naval Dockyard Mumbai
Likely focus:
- Indigenous capability
- Strategic autonomy in shipbuilding
- Defence-commercial technological spillovers
Naval experience provides insight into long-cycle industrial execution.
P.K. Mishra
MD, Indian Register of Shipping
Likely focus:
- Compliance with international classification standards
- Safety and quality benchmarks
- Certification for export competitiveness
Classification credibility is vital for global acceptance.
Uday Chaitanya Ganivada
Country Manager, DNV
Likely focus:
- Global best practices
- Decarbonisation pathways
- Green shipbuilding standards
- Digitalisation and risk frameworks
DNV represents international benchmarking authority.
Daiyu Kurachi
Technical Group, NYK Line
Likely focus:
- Buyer expectations from Asian shipowners
- Reliability, lifecycle costs and sustainability
- Opportunities for collaboration
Japanese participation signals potential partnership avenues.
Girija Subramanian
CMD, The New India Assurance Company Limited
Likely focus:
- Maritime insurance frameworks
- Risk underwriting for shipyards
- Financing security structures
Insurance is critical for capital-intensive shipbuilding.
Prasad Gadkari
NIIF
Likely focus:
- Infrastructure financing models
- Public-private investment structures
- Long-term capital deployment
Shipbuilding expansion requires institutional capital confidence.
State Representatives (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
Likely focus:
- Maritime cluster competitiveness
- Policy incentives
- Land and infrastructure readiness
- State-level industrial alignment
Cluster coherence may determine scaling success.
