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Swan Defence and Heavy Industries (SDHI) bagged a $227 million order to build six chemical tankers for European shipowner Rederiet Stenersen AS.
Note: this marks the company’s first newbuild contract since the revival of its Pipavav shipyard in Gujarat.
For context, Swan Defence recently revived its Pipavav shipyard in Gujarat, restarting operations at India’s largest shipyard after years of inactivity.
About the deal: the order is for six IMO Type II chemical tankers, each with 18,000 DWT, with an option for six more sister vessels. First delivery in 33 months and the rest rolling out at regular intervals.
In simple terms, the order is for six specialised ships built to safely carry chemicals and hazardous liquids across oceans, meeting global safety standards.
Each vessel will be around 150 metres long and 23 metres wide, designed by Marinform AS and StoGda Ship Design & Engineering, and classed by DNV. The tankers will feature dual-fuel LNG-ready hybrid propulsion, Ice Class 1A certification, and high levels of automation.
DNV is an international safety and quality certification body that checks and approves ships to ensure they meet global standards.
Zoom out: India is still a small player when it comes to building specialised chemical tankers, which are ships designed to safely carry hazardous chemicals across oceans. Most of the world’s chemical tankers are built in South Korea, China, and Japan.
This order shows that Indian shipyards can now compete in a high-value, technically demanding segment of global shipping.
