K. Aravind
Cochin Shipyard, established in 1972, is wholly owned by the Government. Over the past three decades, the company has risen to the forefront of the shipbuilding and maintenance sector in the country.
Cochin Shipyard has the capacity to build and maintain the largest ships in the country. Cochin Shipyard receives orders for shipbuilding from internationally renowned companies in Europe and the Gulf region. The shipyard also received an order for the first aircraft carrier ship to be built in India.
Cochin Shipyard started repairing ships in 1982. All types of ships are repaired here. The shipyard is equipped to add new facilities to ships used in the oil exploration sector and to extend the life of ships of the Navy, Coast Guard, Fisheries and Port Trust, Shipping Corporation of India, ONGC and Merchant Ships. It also provides training to engineers. About 100 engineers complete their training here every year.
The company currently handles orders worth Rs 3,000 crore. The company made a good profit from repairs during the last fiscal year. The shipyard, the largest in the country in terms of dock capacity, is also the only profitable one in the country. ABG Shipyard, Reliance Defence and Bharti Defence are the loss-making shipyards. Currently, about 80 to 100 ships are being repaired here. With the expansion of the facility, double the number of ships can be repaired.
Cochin Shipyard is a stock that can be considered by long-term investors as the Central Government places special emphasis on equipping the defence equipment and systems within the country.
