+
Pipavav Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard eyes four icebreaker ships
PORTS & SHIPPING

Pipavav Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard eyes four icebreaker ships

Swan Energy-promoted Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd (RNEL) and state-owned Cochin Shipyard Ltd are in advanced talks with Russia to construct two non-nuclear icebreaker ships each in a government brokered deal estimated to cost over Rs 40 billion for Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company ROSATOM to support its Northern Sea Route (NSR) development plan, multiple sources said. A top-level team from Swan’s shipyard located at Pipavav in Gujarat, comprising its Chief Executive Officer, Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena, (IN Retd), visited Moscow in early December to discuss the ice breaker shipbuilding order, a government official briefed on the visit said.Describing the three-day trip as “very successful”, the government official said, “Russia wants Pipavav Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard to finalise the order and start as soon as possible”. An icebreaker ship is used to break ice which makes it easier to melt, becoming water that absorbs more sunlight. Icebreakers play a crucial role in providing response capacity for crises and disasters in ice-covered waters. Russia is pitching the Northern Sea Route as an alternate global shipping lane, offering quicker transit time between Northern Europe and East Asia than the conventional Suez Canal route. Russia’s keenness to build four ice breaker ships in India has been bolstered by the return of President elect Donald Trump to the White House. “You can see Trump openly supporting Russia and vice versa with Putin. The Russians are very gung-ho about Trump taking over as President of the United States of America in mid-January when things are expected to fall in place,” the official said. Russia is enticing Indian yards to build the ice breaker ships for ROSATOM, holding out a promise to order big ships later, he said. “Russia wants to do everything with us; you take big bulkers, tankers and container ships especially with shipbuilding being given a thrust by the government. And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Putin are syncing well,” the official said.

Swan Energy-promoted Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd (RNEL) and state-owned Cochin Shipyard Ltd are in advanced talks with Russia to construct two non-nuclear icebreaker ships each in a government brokered deal estimated to cost over Rs 40 billion for Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company ROSATOM to support its Northern Sea Route (NSR) development plan, multiple sources said. A top-level team from Swan’s shipyard located at Pipavav in Gujarat, comprising its Chief Executive Officer, Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena, (IN Retd), visited Moscow in early December to discuss the ice breaker shipbuilding order, a government official briefed on the visit said.Describing the three-day trip as “very successful”, the government official said, “Russia wants Pipavav Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard to finalise the order and start as soon as possible”. An icebreaker ship is used to break ice which makes it easier to melt, becoming water that absorbs more sunlight. Icebreakers play a crucial role in providing response capacity for crises and disasters in ice-covered waters. Russia is pitching the Northern Sea Route as an alternate global shipping lane, offering quicker transit time between Northern Europe and East Asia than the conventional Suez Canal route. Russia’s keenness to build four ice breaker ships in India has been bolstered by the return of President elect Donald Trump to the White House. “You can see Trump openly supporting Russia and vice versa with Putin. The Russians are very gung-ho about Trump taking over as President of the United States of America in mid-January when things are expected to fall in place,” the official said. Russia is enticing Indian yards to build the ice breaker ships for ROSATOM, holding out a promise to order big ships later, he said. “Russia wants to do everything with us; you take big bulkers, tankers and container ships especially with shipbuilding being given a thrust by the government. And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Putin are syncing well,” the official said.

Next Story
Real Estate

Heena Lalwani Buys Rs 1.13 Billion Juhu Apartment

Heena Lalwani, promoter of Aatman Innovations Private Limited, has purchased a luxury apartment worth Rs 1.13 billion in Mumbai’s upscale Juhu locality, according to property registration documents accessed by Zapkey.com.The 9,862 sq ft apartment, located on the 10th floor of Lodha Developers’ Avalon Tower, was acquired at Rs 115,000 per sq ft and comes with five car parking spaces. The deal, registered on 18 August 2025, also included the payment of Rs 68 million in stamp duty and a Rs 30,000 registration fee.Lodha Developers did not respond to queries regarding the transaction, while the..

Next Story
Real Estate

Godrej Buys KPHB Land for Rs 7 Billion in E-Auction

An acre of prime land in Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB), Hyderabad, was auctioned for Rs 7 billion, with the Telangana Housing Board generating Rs 5.47 billion from the sale of 7.8 acres through e-auction on 20 August 2025.The auction notification was issued last month, attracting bids from Godrej Properties, Aurobindo Realty, Prestige Estates, and Ashoka Builders, according to Board vice-chairman V.P. Gautham. With an offset price of Rs 4 billion per acre, the three-hour auction saw 46 bid increases, before Godrej Properties acquired the land.Revenue generated from the auction will be utilis..

Next Story
Real Estate

HMDA to Auction 93 Prime Plots in September

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is preparing to conduct a three-day auction of prime open plots across Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts this September.According to official reports, the e-auction will take place on 17, 18, and 19 September, offering 93 plots. Of these, 70 are located in the Bachupally HMDA layout, with the remainder spread across Turkayamjal, Kokapet, Poppalguda, Chandanagar, Bairagiguda, Gandi Maisamma, Suraram, Medipally, and Bachupally village.The highest upset price has been fixed at Rs 175,000 per square yard for a land parce..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?