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Cochin Shipyard signed a $360 million (₹3,267 crore) contract with French shipping giant CMA CGM to build six LNG-fuelled container vessels.
In layman terms, the project is to build six eco-friendly cargo ships for a global French shipping company.
The deets: each vessel will have a 1,700 TEU capacity (that’s standard container units) and cost about $60 million. These ships will run on LNG, which is cleaner than traditional marine fuels.
1,700 TEU capacity means the ship can carry about 1,700 standard 20-foot shipping containers, the big metal boxes you see stacked on cargo ships.
Why it matters: the order will give Cochin a revenue visibility for the next 3–5 years. Moreover, this helps India bring in large foreign orders
With global shipping moving toward cleaner fuels, LNG-powered vessels are part of a multi-billion-dollar transition. As one of the few Indian yards building such ships for a company operating in 177 countries, this strengthens India’s export earnings.
Zoom out: LNG vessels are a transition step before green ammonia and hydrogen become mainstream. By successfully executing this order, Cochin Shipyard strengthens its credibility in building next-gen ships.
If India can consistently deliver such complex, export-oriented projects, it could capture a larger share of the global shipbuilding market, which is currently dominated by South Korea, China and Japan.
