Udupi Cochin Shipyard Secures Rs 1,100 Crore Order for Eight Cargo Vessels.

The Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), has secured an international order worth Rs. 1,100 crore for the construction of eight 6,300 TDW dry cargo vessels.

CSL announced it has won the contract from Wilson ASA, Norway, for the design and construction of four 6,300 TDW dry cargo vessels. An agreement has also been signed for an additional four vessels of the same type, which will be formally contracted by September 19, 2024.

This new order follows a previous contract awarded in June 2023 for the design and construction of six 3,800 TDW dry cargo vessels, which are currently at advanced stages of construction at UCSL's yard in Udupi, Karnataka.

Each vessel, measuring 100 meters in length and with a deadweight of 6,300 metric tonnes at a design draft of 6.5 meters, will be designed by Conoship International, Netherlands. The vessels will be constructed as environmentally friendly diesel-electric vessels for transporting general cargo in European coastal waters.

The overall project, worth approximately Rs 1,100 crore, is set to be completed by September 2028. Wilson ASA, headquartered in Bergen, Norway, is Europe's leading short-sea fleet operator, transporting about 15 million tonnes of dry cargo across the continent with a fleet of around 130 vessels, ranging from 1,500 to 8,500 DWT.

Since Cochin Shipyard Limited took over UCSL, the shipyard has successfully delivered two 62T Bollard Pull Tugs to Ocean Sparkle Limited, an Adani Harbour Services Limited company, and one 70T Bollard Pull Tug to Polestar Maritime Limited. These were the first tugs with Approved Standard Tug Design & Specifications (ASTDS) as promulgated by the Government of India for Indian ports.

Additionally, UCSL has received repeat orders for four 70T Bollard Pull Tugs: three from Ocean Sparkle Limited and one from Polestar Maritime Limited.

BS