PM dedicates Pipavav Shipyard to nation

Prime minister Manmohan Singh today dedicated Pipavav Shipyard to the nation. Private sector Pipavav Shipyard Limited (PSL) is setting up an integrated shipbuilding facility which, upon completion, will be the largest in India and among the largest in Asia.

PSL is spread over an aggregate area of 198.92 hectares (approximately 491.53 acres), comprising an SEZ unit spread over 95 hectares (approximately 234.75 acres) and an EOU spread over 103.92 hectares (approximately 256.79 acres). The two sites are connected by a dedicated corridor road of approximately 4.5 km length built by the company.

Commercial operations at PSL commenced on 1 April 2009.

The shipyard complex is located on the south western coast of Gujarat, about 130 km from Bhavnagar to its east and Diu, about 90 km to its west. It is adjacent to Pipavav Port, the first private sector port in India, which is controlled and operated by the AP Møller Group (Maersk) of Denmark, one of the largest maritime groups in the world.

"I am very pleased to participate in this function which marks the dedication of the Pipavav Shipyard to our nation. Some 50 years ago when I was a student at the University of Cambridge I had a very famous teacher Lord Nicolas Kaldor and he often used to say that there is no technical necessity for any social and economic system to do better than another. It all depends upon the character, the mindset and motivation of people who make all the ruling decisions of a nation's life. And what I have been told by Nikhil Gandhi, I am truly impressed by the commitment to innovation, farsighted vision, commitment to do things the best possible way, commitment to get away from the chalta hai tradition which has often I think held our country back," the prime minister said in his inaugural  address.

India is destined to be a major trading nation of the world and if India is destined to be a major trading nation of the world, I think shipping, ship building and management of our ports assume great importance in our scheme of development planning, he said.