Overview
- At the Indian Lighthouse Festival in Visakhapatnam on January 9, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced a ₹305 crore Indian Ship Technology Centre under the Indian Maritime University.
- Sonowal outlined plans for a greenfield port and a National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster at Dugarajupatnam with a proposed capacity of 500,000 GT.
- An SPV between the Visakhapatnam Port Authority and the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board has been signed to advance the shipbuilding cluster.
- The minister said Visakhapatnam is set to emerge as a national hub for ship design and research.
- The festival opened with 44 stalls showcasing crafts, food and culture, and officials highlighted lighthouse tourism growth from about four lakh visitors in 2014 to roughly 20 lakh at developed sites.