During an official visit to Norway timed to coincide with Nor-Shipping 2025, India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal held a series of high-level discussions aimed at strengthening India’s maritime partnerships and initiatives.
In a roundtable with the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA), the Indian minister encouraged Norwegian shipowners to increase their investments in India’s maritime sector. He noted that Indian shipyards currently hold 11% of NSA’s order book and called for further expansion, highlighting opportunities such as India’s shipbreaking credit note scheme.
Furthermore, as part of his visit, Sonowal also attended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Kongsberg Maritime.
As stated, this partnership marks a milestone as GRSE takes on the design and construction of India’s first-ever polar research vessel (PRV) with Kongsberg to provide design expertise for the vessel, which will support the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in studying climate change, marine ecosystems and the polar regions.
Bharat’s first Polar Research Vessel (PRV) to be Made In India!
A landmark Indo-Norwegian collaboration takes shape with the MoU signing between @OfficialGRSE and Kongsberg Maritime to co-design and build India’s first PRV for the National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research. The… pic.twitter.com/lOb8WpLWjp
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) June 3, 2025
As reported by local media outlets, the new PRV will be equipped with advanced technology and plays a key part on India’s broader initiative to strengthen its shipbuilding sector under the ‘Make in India’ campaign., with Sonowal describing the project as a testament to India’s commitment to scientific innovation and sustainable development.
Additionally, in a separate meeting, Sonowal met with Japan’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Terada Yoshimichi, to discuss deepening the maritime cooperation between the two nations. The two ministers reviewed the progress of a potential partnership between Indian and Japanese shipyards.
The Indian minister expressed India’s interest in fostering joint ventures and collaborative agreements with Japanese shipbuilders such as Imabari Shipbuilding, JMUC, Kanagawa Dockyard and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
