Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation three major infrastructure projects worth over 4,000 crore rupees at a function to be held at the Wellingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala on 17 Jan 2024. With the commissioning of these projects, the country’s maritime industry is poised for growth, self-sufficiency and global prominence.
The projects include the New Dry Dock Facility at the Cochin Shipyard, the International Ship Repair facility of the Cochin Shipyard at the Wellingdon Island, and the Indian Oil Corporation’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen.
The New Dry Dock facility constructed at a cost of 1799 crore rupees at the Cochin Shipyard, is the largest dry dock in the country. It can accommodate LNG Carriers, large vessels and oil rigs. The dual purpose dry dock, equipped with a 600 tonne gantry crane can be utilised for both ship construction and ship repairs.
The dry dock will eliminate dependency on foreign countries and will play a big role in the construction and repairs of large and specialised ships and other marine structures. The International Ship Repair facility at Wellingdon Island, built at a cost of 970 crore rupees, will help the country establish itself as a major ship repair centre.
The International Ship Repair facility has six work stations facilitating the simultaneous repair of six vessels. The facility is a major step towards augmenting the ship repair capacity of the nation and in establishing Kochi as a major ship repair centre. With the commissioning of these projects, the country’s maritime industry is poised for growth, self-sufficiency and global prominence.
PM Modi will also inaugurate the 1236 crore IOC LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen, catering to the LPG requirement of southern India. The project will ensure LPG distribution through road and pipeline transfers, benefitting bottling plants in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The project is expected to result in an annual logistic savings of 150 crore rupees and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 18,000 tonnes per annum.