Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday, 23 May 2026, shared a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting that partnerships with the United Arab Emirates and Norway are set to significantly strengthen India's shipbuilding ecosystem and generate large-scale employment for skilled workers.

Context

Quoting Prime Minister Modi, Rijiju wrote: 'यूएई और नॉर्वे के साथ पार्टनरशिप से भारत का shipbuilding ecosystem मजबूत होगा।' — 'The partnership with UAE and Norway will strengthen India's shipbuilding ecosystem.' The Prime Minister added that demand for India's engineers, technicians, and skilled workers is set to rise to a degree 'you cannot imagine.'

The statement underscores a deliberate push by the Modi government to position India as a global shipbuilding hub by attracting maritime expertise from countries with advanced naval and commercial vessel construction capabilities.

Policy Backdrop

India's shipbuilding ambitions are anchored in two flagship programmes. The Sagarmala Programme, launched in 2015, was designed to modernise ports and expand domestic shipbuilding capacity along India's coastline. The Make in India initiative, announced in 2014, explicitly identifies shipbuilding as a priority manufacturing sector.

Norway brings to the table advanced maritime technology and ship design expertise, frequently shared through bilateral cooperation frameworks. The UAE, a major hub for maritime trade in the Gulf, maintains extensive economic and investment ties with India across infrastructure and energy sectors. Together, these partnerships fit an established pattern of India leveraging foreign expertise to scale up shipyard output and integrate global standards into domestic production.

Stakeholders and Impact

The most immediate beneficiaries of an expanded shipbuilding sector would be marine engineers, technicians, and skilled tradespeople — a workforce segment the government has consistently sought to develop through vocational and technical training programmes. Indian shipbuilding firms, both public-sector yards and private players, stand to gain from technology transfer and potential investment flows that bilateral agreements could unlock.

A stronger domestic shipbuilding base also carries strategic implications, reducing India's dependence on foreign-built vessels for both commercial fleets and, in the longer term, defence procurement pipelines.

What's Next

Specific details — including the exact terms of any Memoranda of Understanding, technology transfer arrangements, or timelines for shipyard projects linked to the UAE and Norway engagements — have not been formally released in the public domain. Parliamentary updates or official government releases are expected to provide granular information on the structure and scope of these partnerships.

As India accelerates its maritime development agenda, the degree to which these bilateral ties translate into verifiable investment commitments and job creation benchmarks will be closely watched by industry stakeholders and policymakers alike.