The centre has aggregated demand for 437 vessels as it seeks to boost domestic availability of vessels, Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary, ministry of ports, shipping, and waterways said Thursday. He said while some vessels can be domestically manufactured, others may require structured tenders allowing imports of initial units.

"Green tugs and medium-range tankers are being built domestically. For highly specialised vessels like VLGC (Very Large Gas Carriers) and VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers), the government is using structured tenders," Mangal told journalists during an inter-ministerial briefing on West Asia issues. 

The structured model allows for some vessels to be built out-of-country while mandating that the majority (roughly 6 out of 8) be built within India to foster specialised technology and manpower development, Mangal said adding the vessels are to be procured through 2041-42.

"Demand aggregation is key to help foster domestic manufacturing," he said.

Mangal also said the centre has built in a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) clause in tenders for container vessels, to give Indian companies a competitive advantage.

Source: ET Infra. Com

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