The Need for India to Develop Its Own Marine Engine for Strategic Autonomy in the Shipbuilding Sector

Introduction:

India’s maritime sector is crucial in national defence, trade and energy security. As of today, it heavily relies on imported marine engines as it lacks strategic autonomy. Around 90% of India’s trade is conducted through maritime routes, facilitating international trade. It ensures safe transport not only of bulk goods but oil and natural gas too, meeting the country’s growing energy demands. The key components of India’s maritime sector include theIndian Navy, ports and related infrastructure and maritime education, research and training institutions. 

The Govt. is strategically moving ahead towards making the maritime industry self-sufficient and sustainable. The Maritime India Vision 2030 has a 10-year plan to develop the sector by expanding ports, shipbuilding and maritime education, and it aims to make India a global leader in the ship building and shipping industry. India is the founding member of the India Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which promotes maritime cooperation and economic development in the Indian Ocean region. The Sagarmala project of Govt. of India is dedicated to promoting port-led development and improving connectivity across the seas.

The maritime sector in India faces numerous challenges and threats such as piracy, ocean terrorism and territorial disputes. Environmental concerns include an increase in the carbon footprint, water pollution because of massive oil spills and improper disposal of chemicals. India’s dependence on foreign suppliers makes it vulnerable to embargoes, limited bargaining power and compromised decision-making. Increased risk of cyber security and compromises in operational readiness during times of conflict or crisis are results of dependence on foreign suppliers.

Opportunities and Challenges in building India’s first indigenous marine engines

Indigenous marine engines have a significant strategic role in India’s maritime security and economy. Strategic advantages such as self-reliance, technological advancements, cost-effectiveness, improved response time, enhanced reliability, and easier maintenance and repair, would come with the Indigenous marine engine. Economic advantages include job creation, revenue generation and reduction in the import bill. Manufacturing an indigenous marine engine poses several challenges as well, such as requirement of investments for research and development, and a lack of professionals with expertise in the operation and designing of marine engines. To counter this, Indian marine researchers need to have partnerships with foreign institutes and with engine manufacturing companies. The Government of India should support the researchers and engineers working towards the development of Indigenous marine engines.  

Indigenous manufacturing of marine engine would bring long-term benefits such as the technological advancement of the country, opportunities to export and increased defence preparedness. Fleet availability would be enhanced, dependence on foreign suppliers would be reduced, and maintenance and repair costs would also be reduced. India wil become as a technology leader if the local marine engine gets developed. It would help India to design, manufacture, and upgrade critical propulsion systems without reliance on foreign intellectual property. Indigenous engines can be customised as per the specific operation requirements to safeguard sensitive defence technologies. A skilled work-force would be created in coming years, and our efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing other engines locally would be enhanced. The major challenges include ageing infrastructure, limited capacity compared to other manufacturing countries, and inadequate dry dock facilities.

Apart from technological and skill gaps, shortage of skilled workforce, and limited R&D capabilities, Indian shipyards face challenges because of a complex regulatory framework and intense competition from China, Japan, and South Korea. Additional challenges include environmental and safety concerns, corruption and bureaucratic delays, and limited government support. The growth and competitiveness of the sector are also adversely affected by the need to comply with stringent environmental and safety regulations, which increase costs and complexity. Limited support from the Indian government further limits its ability to compete with international players.

Some technological hurdles to developing marine diesel engines for India include high-output diesel engines for military and merchant vessels. Among these is the sheer difficulty of designing and developing such engines, as very few engineers have the experience and know-how to design high-power engines, and meet the international standards set by the International Monetary Organization (IMO). Further, Indian manufacturers may not have access to the required special materials and machining tools that could be expensive and hard to get. Quality control and assurance are also hard to get, especially

There are stringent requirements for emissions and fuel efficiency standards and very high reliability and durability requirements. Testing and validation challenges include restricted access to specialised testing facilities, the difficulty of simulating actual operational conditions, and adhering to regulations by various countries. All those issues create quite a burden for the Indian marine engine manufacturers.

Economic and regulatory factors tend to make borrowing expensive for Indian manufacturers and reduce the competitiveness of their product. Nevertheless, Indian manufacturers continue innovating in the marine diesel engine industry. Marine engine R&D involves high capital investment. Until now, India’s shipbuilding works were restricted to hull fabrication with minimum development of the propulsion systems. Financial and policy reasons may limit the indigenous diesel engine development. Some policy constraints include incoherent ineffective incentives, bureaucratic delays, and limited intellectual property. All these factors create uncertainty and may hinder investment in the indigenous development of diesel engines. Furthermore, the regime for intellectual property protection in India may not provide enough safeguards for IP on diesel engine designs and technologies, which discourages innovation and investment.

The roadmap for marine diesel engines for India involves several key steps, namely feasibility study, technology transfer, infrastructure development, skill building, design and development testing, validation, certification or type approval, and also marketing. Long-term recommendations include advanced technology development, product range expansion, global market penetration, and a global supply chain. 

Conclusion

The maritime sector is extremely important for India’s economy and national security. Therefore, a comprehensive plan in this regard can unlock its full potential. Indigenising the manufacturing of large marine diesel engines would be a significant step forward for the nation in its maritime and defence sectors. It will gradually reduce the country’s dependence on foreign suppliers and ensure strategic autonomy, and operational preparedness.