Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), a state-owned shipyard under the Ministry of Defence, is expanding its production capacity to serve growing demand from India’s armed forces, commercial shipping companies and international buyers. The move is part of India’s broader goal to rank among the world’s top ten shipbuilding nations by 2030 and top five by 2047. Currently, India holds less than 0.1 per cent of global shipbuilding market share.
The expansion plan and current status
GRSE can currently construct up to 28 large, medium and small vessels at the same time. This capacity is being increased to 32 vessels through ongoing infrastructure improvements. The shipyard has delivered 118 warships to the Indian Navy since its inception, including INS Ajay built in 1961.
To handle future demand, GRSE is developing a new shipbuilding facility at Raichak in West Bengal with an investment of over 2,500 crore rupees. The company is also in talks to set up another major facility on India’s western coast, potentially in Gujarat. In the financial year 2025-26, GRSE recorded operations revenue of 7,002 crore rupees and was granted Navratna status in June 2026.
The shipyard is diversifying beyond military vessels. While defence orders made up nearly 95 per cent of its workload five years ago, non-defence commercial orders now account for 20-25 per cent. GRSE is building 12 multi-purpose vessels for a German ship owner and has undertaken projects for Mauritius, Seychelles and Guyana.
Around 2,500 small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are linked to GRSE’s operations, with 69 per cent of domestic purchases coming from these suppliers. The shipyard also runs an innovation programme called GAINS that involves startups, with participation growing from 49 startups initially to 101 in the third edition.
Indigenous content in recent major warship projects exceeds 85 per cent. GRSE also manufactures portable steel bridges for the Border Roads Organisation, Indian Army and state public works departments, with revenue in this segment reaching over 200 crore rupees in the previous year.
What this means for you
India’s push to become a major shipbuilding hub could create manufacturing and engineering jobs across the country. Small businesses and startups in the maritime supply chain may find new opportunities to work with GRSE and its associated companies. For defence aspirants and professionals, the sector expansion signals growing career openings in shipbuilding and related engineering fields.