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Defence & Security

Defence shipyards of India

India's warship builders (MDL, GRSE, GSL, HSL and Cochin Shipyard) with their locations, ministries, status and flagship programmes such as the NGOPV, Fleet Support Ships and Project 17A.

Pareto Academy · updated 26 October 2026

At a glance

Most of the Indian Navy's and Coast Guard's ships are built at five public-sector yards. Four of them (MDL, GRSE, GSL and HSL) are defence PSUs under the Ministry of Defence; Cochin Shipyard, which built the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, falls under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Private yards such as L&T now also build naval vessels.

Key facts

  • Ministry for MDL, GRSE, GSL, HSL: Ministry of Defence (Department of Defence Production)
  • Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL): Mumbai, Maharashtra; nationalised 1960; Navratna since 2024
  • Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE): Kolkata, West Bengal; nationalised 1960; Navratna from 19 June 2026; first Indian yard to build 100 warships
  • Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL): Vasco da Gama, Goa; set up in 1957
  • Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL): Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; founded 1941 as Scindia Shipyard; under MoD since 2010
  • Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL): Kochi, Kerala; incorporated 1972; Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; India's largest shipbuilding and repair yard
  • NGOPV programme: 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels, contracted March 2023 (7 at GSL, 4 at GRSE)
  • Fleet Support Ships: five 43,500-tonne tankers at HSL; first, "Surya", launched 6 October 2026
  • Multi-purpose vessel: INS Samarthak, built by L&T at Kattupalli, commissioned 16 October 2026 at Karwar

How it works

Shipyard Location Flagship naval builds
MDL Mumbai Kalvari-class (Scorpene) submarines under Project 75; Kolkata and Visakhapatnam-class destroyers; Shivalik and Nilgiri-class (P-17A) frigates
GRSE Kolkata Nilgiri-class (P-17A) frigates; anti-submarine shallow-water craft; Sandhayak-class survey vessels; 4 NGOPVs
GSL Vasco da Gama Offshore patrol vessels; two Talwar-class (Project 1135.6) frigates; 7 NGOPVs
HSL Visakhapatnam Fleet Support Ships; diving support vessels INS Nistar and INS Nipun
CSL Kochi INS Vikrant (commissioned 2 September 2022); anti-submarine shallow-water craft; next-generation missile vessels

Who builds what. The P-17A stealth frigates are split between MDL and GRSE. The eight-plus-eight anti-submarine shallow-water craft are split between GRSE and Cochin Shipyard. The NGOPVs are split between GSL and GRSE.

Fleet Support Ships. These large tankers refuel and resupply warships at sea, letting fleets stay deployed longer. HSL upgraded a slipway and added a 300-tonne Goliath crane so it can build ships of up to 45,000 DWT.

Recent developments

  • 16 Oct 2026: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan commissioned INS Samarthak, the Navy's first indigenous multi-purpose vessel (107 m, over 75% indigenous content, built by L&T), at Karwar.
  • 10 Oct 2026: GRSE launched Yard 3040 "Shreyas", the third of its four NGOPVs (about 113 m, 3,000 tonnes); the first two, Sanghmitra and Shruti, were launched in May and August 2026.
  • 6 Oct 2026: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Fleet Support Ship-1 "Surya" at HSL and laid the keel of FSS-5.
  • 19 Jun 2026: GRSE granted Navratna status.

Exam traps

  • Cochin Shipyard is not under the Ministry of Defence; it is under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
  • INS Vikrant was built at Cochin, not at MDL; MDL builds the Scorpene submarines.
  • HSL moved from the Shipping Ministry to Defence only in 2010.
  • GRSE is in Kolkata; GSL is in Goa (Vasco da Gama); don't mix up their initials.
  • The NGOPV order is 11 ships: 7 at GSL and 4 at GRSE.

Quick check

  • Q: Which shipyard built India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant? A: Cochin Shipyard Limited.
  • Q: Where is Hindustan Shipyard Limited located? A: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Q: Which two shipyards are building the Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels? A: Goa Shipyard (7) and GRSE (4).

Further reading

Sources

In the news

Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:

  1. Week of 15–21 October 2026INS Samarthak, the Navy's first indigenous multi-purpose vessel, commissioned at Karwar
  2. Week of 8–14 October 2026GRSE launches 'Shreyas', the third Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel
  3. Week of 1–7 October 2026Rajnath Singh launches the Navy's first Fleet Support Ship, "Surya"