Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL) launched the first of eight 6,300 deadweight tonnage (DWT) dry cargo vessels at its Malpe shipyard on Monday, marking the largest vessel built at the facility since the company was incorporated in 2021.
The vessel is being constructed for Norway-based Wilson ASA under a contract signed in June 2024. It is 99 metres long, 15.85 metres wide and has a cargo hold capacity of 3,16,278 cubic feet. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in December 2026.
The launch was part of a series of project milestones at the shipyard. The keel for the third vessel was laid during the programme, while steel cutting began for the fourth vessel. Wilson ASA Chairman Eivind Eidesvik and his daughter, Anna Eidesvik, jointly launched the first vessel. Norwegian Ambassador to India May-Elin Stener laid the keel for the third ship.
Union Shipping Secretary Vijay Kumar, who joined the programme through video conference from New Delhi, congratulated the shipyard on reaching the milestones. Officials from the Karnataka government, Cochin Shipyard Limited and UCSL also attended the event.
Designed by Netherlands-based Conoship International BV, the vessel is intended as a general cargo ship with a focus on fuel efficiency. UCSL described the design as innovative, future-proof and environmentally friendly, with lower fuel consumption expected to reduce operating expenses and environmental impact. The source report did not provide specific fuel-efficiency or emissions figures.
The project extends a previous shipbuilding relationship between UCSL and Wilson ASA. The Malpe yard has already completed and delivered six 3,800 DWT dry cargo vessels to the Norwegian company. Each of those vessels was approximately 89 metres long. The first was delivered in April 2025, while the remaining five sister ships were delivered over a period of 14 months.
The earlier deliveries provide the immediate production context for the larger vessel series now under construction. The new ships will have greater deadweight capacity than the six previously delivered vessels, while the contract covers eight vessels in total. The supplied report does not state the overall contract value, the delivery schedule for the remaining seven ships or the number of workers involved in the project.
UCSL was incorporated in 2021 and restarted its operations four years ago, according to the report. The pace of the earlier deliveries and the latest launch indicate that the Malpe facility has moved from restarting operations to handling a multi-vessel international order. The keel-laying and steel-cutting milestones also show that different vessels in the series are progressing simultaneously through construction.
The next stated milestone for the first vessel is its scheduled delivery in December 2026. Further construction activity will continue on the third and fourth vessels as the eight-ship order advances.
