The government is considering financial support for local manufacture of shipping containers amid growing shortage and rising costs post Covid. Direct subsidy and support via viability gap funding (VGF) is being examined and a container manufacturing mission is being considered to hasten local manufacturing. The idea is to shield exporters and importers from the vagaries of sudden shortage of containers and spikes. Non-availability of containers was a key challenge when China imported empty containers by offering a premium. Shipping containers manufactured in India can be priced more competitively compared with foreign-owned ones with government support.Pipavav shipyard, India’s largest, to re-start operationsPipavav shipyard, India’s biggest shipbuilder by capacity, will spring back to life after a new management took control and is in “advanced talks” with a global fleet owner to build large green bulk carriers worth a few hundred million dollars. Pipavav shipyard has a dry dock measuring 662 metres x 65 metres (of which 295 metres is dedicated for ship repair) with a 600-tonnes SWL goliath crane, making it the largest in India and one of the world’s biggest. Re-starting the shipyard will give India the much-needed capacity to build ships at a time when new shipbuilding slots in the world’s top shipbuilding nations – China, South Korea and Japan – are booked till 2028, forcing owners to look for alternate destinations.Contact: Pipavav shipyardWebsite: www.shipyards.grDredging and reclamation works for Vadhavan port on PPP HAM modelState-run Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), which is helming the Vadhavan Port project, floated an expression of interest (EoI) to pick a private partner for dredging, offshore reclamation and shore protection works on public-private-partnership (PPP) under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) model for the new port. The pre-application conference for dredging, offshore reclamation and shore protection works is estimated to be worth Rs.206 billion for the planned Vadhavan port. The scope of work includes carrying out dredging of approach channel, harbour basin, dredging of material for filling or reclamation of total offshore area of 1,227 hectares and maintenance of the area on a long term concession.  JSW eyes plans for hydrogen, ammonia plants JSW Infrastructure, India’s second-largest port operator, is considering building green hydrogen and ammonia plants at its ports. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) identified three key ports—Kandla, Paradip and Tuticorin—as future export hubs for green hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol within the next seven years, aiming to position India as a major green hydrogen exporter.  Contact: JSW InfrastructureTel: 22 4286 1000Email: infra.mum@jsw.inWebsite: www.jsw.inMachilipatnam Port construction in full swing, completion expected by 2025In a significant update on India’s maritime infrastructure, Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal revealed that construction of Machilipatnam [Andhra Pradesh] Port, which began in April 2023, is expected to be completed by October 2025. This non-major port, under the administrative control of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, is not included in the central government’s Sagarmala Scheme. However, it is supported by a substantial term loan of Rs.39.4 billion from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to the Machilipatnam Port Development Corporation (MPDCL). Further, investments are being made by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), which have undertaken 36 projects in Andhra Pradesh amounting to Rs.46 billion.