Maharashtra is set to host India’s largest shipyard at Dighi Port in Raigad district, with the project involving Rs. 265 bn and creating about 50,000 jobs. Fisheries and port development minister Nitesh Rane said on Monday that a tripartite agreement had been finalised between Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), the Central Government and the Maharashtra Government. The shipyard will form part of a specialised greenfield shipbuilding cluster at the port. Rane announced the project during the inaugural session of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Maritime India Conference & Expo 2026, describing it as part of the state’s wider effort to promote maritime and port-led infrastructure. He said Maharashtra would soon introduce a comprehensive maritime development policy intended to provide an investor-friendly framework, including single-window clearances. Rane also said every memorandum signed by the state at last year’s India Maritime Summit had subsequently translated into an investment. The state had introduced a policy covering shipbuilding, ship repair and shipbreaking within its first 100 days, he said. The measures are intended to streamline environmental clearances, reduce project development time and support land acquisition. The Dighi project will strengthen Maharashtra’s role in the national maritime manufacturing and logistics network. Vijay Sankar, president-elect of FICCI and chairman of Sanmar Group, said India’s major ports handled a record 915 mn tonnes of cargo in FY26, 7 per cent above the target. He said the Union Government’s Rs. 700 bn package for shipbuilding and the maritime sector represented a significant opportunity for states. Sankar identified integrated infrastructure, investment aligned with policy support and greater capture of value from trade, including more Indian cargo carried on Indian ships, as priorities. The Netherlands, the event’s official partner country, is promoting cooperation on sustainable and digital shipping infrastructure. Thierry Van Helden, consul and deputy head of mission at the Netherlands Consulate General in Mumbai, said the India-Netherlands Green and Digital Sea Corridor would need commercially viable projects. He added that a Dutch shipbuilding delegation would visit India in February 2027.