Cochin Shipyard Ltd has signed an MoU with Dubai’s Drydocks World to explore a joint venture for ship repair facilities in Kochi and Vadinar.

The Kochi facility, built at ₹1,000 crore, began operations in August and features advanced infrastructure, including a 6,000-tonne ship lift system. Cochin Shipyard is also seeking to extend its land lease with Cochin Port Authority from 30 to 60 years for long-term collaboration. The company scrapped an earlier O&M tender to pursue direct talks under the MoU. With increasing capacity, Cochin aims to attract major global fleet owners like Maersk and MSC. The move targets faster ship turnaround times and positions India as a regional hub for ship repairs and dry docking.