Cochin Shipyard secures $360 mn deal from French firm for first India-made LNG container ships

NEW DELHI: Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on Wednesday signed a $360 million shipbuilding contract with French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM to produce six LNG-powered container ships of 1,700 TEU capacity each.

The deal is the first order for ‘Made in India’ container ships to a shipyard in India. The ships will be built at CSL’s existing facility in Kerala using designs provided by South Korea.

Jose VJ, president and general manager of Cochin Shipyard, said that the first ship under the contract will be delivered within 36 months, and the next ships will arrive at intervals of six months, two ships a year.

“This is the first container ship orders to an Indian shipyard. Once CSL is in a position to build larger ships than the 1,700 TEU container ships currently produced, we will look at building more ships in India,” said Rodolphe Saade, President and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM.

Saade added that the company is exploring opportunities across India beyond shipbuilding, including building new port terminals, expanding logistics operations and building larger ships.

“After China and Korea, there is room for a third country to strengthen its presence in the maritime segment, and India is the most suitable country to take this place,” Saade said.

“This is fully in line with Prime Minister Modi’s Maritime Vision 2047 to position India as a major maritime nation. As corridors connecting India to the Middle East and Europe, such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), develop, CMA CGM is ready to contribute to this new phase of global trade,” Saade said.

CMA CGM is also committed to the development of human capital in India. The group has recruited 1,000 Indian seafarers through CMA SHIPS and plans to onboard 1,500 seafarers by the end of 2026, further strengthening its role in the global maritime workforce.

Building on this strategic milestone, CMA CGM is actively exploring partnerships with key stakeholders in India to increase container production, promote sustainable ship recycling and support the development of domestic container shipping.