HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Advances $4 Billion Shipyard Project in India, Reaffirms Tamil Nadu Plans

【New Delhi, India—Correspondent Pragya Awasati】HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering’s first shipyard construction project in India has entered the active preparation phase. Andhra Pradesh had sought to attract the project, prompting speculation that it could be relocated. However, HDKSOE has reaffirmed its intention to continue pursuing the Thoothukudi project in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu industries ministry said on the 10th local time that the approximately $4 billion Thoothukudi shipyard project had moved beyond the memorandum of understanding stage and entered the detailed project preparation phase.
A delegation led by Hong Soon-jun, head of HDKSOE’s global business team, visited Tamil Nadu from the 1st to the 9th to inspect the proposed shipyard site and discuss the project with state and central government officials. On the 10th, the delegation met with S. Keerthana, Tamil Nadu’s minister of industries, and conveyed HDKSOE’s intention to proceed with the project as planned. Preparations for the project are also taking shape locally. Earlier this month, the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority consulted with HDKSOE, commissioned a detailed feasibility report (DFR), and began a site survey. The Tamil Nadu government transferred approximately 1,700 acres (about 6.88 million square meters) to the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) for the first phase and is also moving forward with the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) by global consulting firms.
Alongside the shipyard’s construction, HDKSOE will develop local supply chains and train the workforce. Tamil Nadu is supporting consultations with Indian steelmakers. The parties are also considering training some local production and technical workers in South Korea before assigning them to the shipyard. The Thoothukudi shipyard is regarded as a key project in HDKSOE’s strategy to expand its global production base. By leveraging India’s shipbuilding development policies and local manufacturing capabilities, the project could establish an industrial ecosystem encompassing not only vessel production but also related sectors such as marine equipment, steel, and logistics.
HDKSOE and the Tamil Nadu government also operate a weekly consultative body to discuss land, infrastructure, permits, localization, and workforce training. With work on the DFR and DPR now underway, the Thoothukudi project has advanced from the conceptual stage to a concrete technical and business-planning phase for the construction of an actual shipyard.
[email protected] Correspondent Pragya Awasati Reporter