The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, met with HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun in Seoul to discuss the next steps for India’s proposed greenfield shipyard at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. The meeting added momentum to the project, and a joint working group will now oversee project development.
During Sarbananda Sonowal's four-day visit to South Korea focused on deepening India–Korea cooperation in shipbuilding and the wider maritime industry, he met with HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun. The discussions built on the India–Republic of Korea Comprehensive Framework for Partnership in Shipbuilding, Shipping and Maritime Logistics adopted in April 2026 and the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 20 April 2026 between HD-KSOE and NSHIP-TN. The meeting added momentum to the project, and a joint working group will now oversee project development.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding arm, reiterated its intent to participate as a primary strategic investor, and the project partners expressed their shared intent to take the yard forward. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected to be finalised within six months.
Union Minister Sonowal told HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun that his main goal in Seoul is to turn into reality, as quickly as possible, the shared vision the Chairman had set out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that India is a core pillar of HD Hyundai’s global future. Speaking at the meeting, Chung Ki-sun said, ‘We have a clear mandate to scale up our work together.’
HD KSOE expressed its appreciation of the enabling conditions created by the Government of India towards implementation of the project. The proposed shipyard, being developed under the Government of India's Shipbuilding Development Scheme, is envisaged to have an annual shipbuilding capacity of approx. 2.5 million Gross Tonnage (GT), subject to validation through Detailed Project Report (DPR). Once operational, it is expected to be India's largest commercial shipyard, significantly strengthening domestic shipbuilding capacity and India's competitiveness in the global maritime industry.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
