Data Science
Indigenous Marine Engines and India’s Path to Maritime Self-Reliance
The maritime sector of India holds immense importance when it comes to the country’s economic prosperity and international reputation. India’s 95% of trade by volume and 70% trade value is carried out through maritime trade routes.
Jun 23, 2025
TL;DR
With, a solid maritime ecosystem, India was once the leading country in building ships, but over the past few centuries, it began to rely on imported technologies, especially foreign marine engines, which severely decelerated the progress. With all, ancient India had a vastly commendable maritime history with Indian shipbuilders possessing an upfront reputation along with ingenious ways of constructing ships.
Table of Contents
Background
The maritime sector of India holds immense importance when it comes to the country’s economic prosperity and international reputation. India’s 95% of trade by volume and 70% trade value is carried out through maritime trade routes. With, a solid maritime ecosystem, India was once the leading country in building ships, but over the past few centuries, it began to rely on imported technologies, especially foreign marine engines, which severely decelerated the progress. With all, ancient India had a vastly commendable maritime history with Indian shipbuilders possessing an upfront reputation along with ingenious ways of constructing ships. For instance, they introduced stitched ships whereby the ship slabs were stitched with coconut coir instead of nails, making the vessels incredibly tough and resilient for prolonged journeys. This innovation was highlighted during the Pilgrimages of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Trade ports like Lothal, Muziris, and Bharuch were important trading ports with Mesopotamia, the Roman Empire, and even southeast Asia. The Chola Dynasty, during the 9th to 13th centuries, established naval dominance by conducting successful expeditions to Southeast Asia and controlling vital trade routes. This legacy underscores India’s potential to reclaim leadership in shipbuilding and marine engine technology.
To realise the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), and to become a $5 trillion economy, India needs to work on indigenous maritime technologies, particularly on the engine side.
Challenges in Maritime Self-Reliance
India’s maritime self-reliance is hindered by a nearly impossible set of problems to solve. The Indian merchant ships make use of Wärtsilä’s marine engines, headquartered in Finland, as well as MAN Energy Solutions from Germany. This leaves Indian merchant ships vulnerable. Indian shipyards do not possess the necessary fleet and technology to compete on a global scale. The defence industry has received some policy support for indigenous manufacturing, but merchant shipping remains neglected. Highly skilled marine engineers also suffer from a dearth of innovation which altogether worsens the problem. A constant focus on offering innovation for India’s young marine engineers will develop the idea of strategically repositioning the focus on indigenous marine engines.
Strategic autonomy and military self-sufficiency depend on the operational efficiency of a ship which makes marine engines critical to power requirements. The reduction of strategic vulnerabilities during global disruptions or geopolitical conflicts will enhance India’s security. This is achieved with indigenous marine engine development. It also decreases the buying cost of Indian shipbuilding and shipping industries thus boosting economic competitiveness by reducing dependence on imports. Technologically, the encouragement needed for new inventions of energy-efficient, eco-friendly propelling systems will come from the indigenous development. Furthermore, achieving self-reliance in marine engines will strengthen India’s geopolitical standing, ensuring dominance in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
This is a good example of how recent global affairs demonstrate the problems caused by reliance on foreign maritime technology. The Western sanctions during the Russia-Ukraine war disrupted Russia’s merchant fleet due to a lack of access to critical marine engine parts. In the same way the Red Sea crisis left countries such as Egypt and Sudan exposed to trading crises due to their foreign engine maintenance and spare part dependency. All these examples highlight the need for India to foster self-reliance through indigenous capabilities. In addition, these data points pose a strategic challenge for India, given the China-backed advancements in shipbuilding and marine engines. Chinese dominance in worldwide ship production, bolstered by domestically manufactured engines, allows China to further expand its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the Indian Ocean Region. The overarching point remains for India to overcome these hurdles, self-reliance in marine engines and shipbuilding must be accelerated.
Opportunities to explore in Indigenising the Marine Engines
The ship engines segment has a lot of room for expansion. The sector is expected to grow from $12.8 B in 2021 to $15.2 B by 2026 and, in India, the shipping sector is set to grow by 5-7% for the foreseeable future. By fostering growth in indigenous ship engines, India can position itself as the go-to place for maritime technology, boosting economic growth and strategic independence.
India’s young force of marine engineers has the potential to enable self-reliance in shipbuilding. Breakthrough innovations in engineering are possible, from fuel-efficient engines to green propulsion systems such as LNG, hydrogen, and hybrid engines, to smart AI and IoT integrated engines, thanks to young visionaries inspired by ‘Agnikul’ and ‘Skyroot’ which have excelled in space technologies. Start-up India and Stand-up India initiatives are also great helps as they provide financing, infrastructure, and mentoring.
Force motors, Tata, and Mahindra’s collaboration can bolster marine engine startups. These industry giants offer comprehensive support to mentors for fledgling entrepreneurs through the development and scaling hurdles, research access, subsidizing market entry, and propelling innovative domestic and international technologies. Supporting such collaboration enables marine engine development efforts to prevent India from becoming a mere market for foreign products.
A capable self-dependent maritime industry is crucial for completing Viksit Bharat Sankalp 2047. Strategic self-sufficiency galvanizes India’s national security while simultaneously strengthening India’s geopolitical maritime stature. Self-reliant manufacturing aids towards Increased industrial advancement and employment opportunities, paving the path towards an accomplished India by 2047. Decreasing import dependence escalates the global standing of the Indian shipping and shipbuilding industries about the $5 trillion economy vision. On top of that, developing green propulsion systems aids India’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.
A self-sufficient maritime industry can be achieved by focusing investments on Research and development in India for hybrid, LNG, and hydrogen propulsion systems. Public-private collaborations and partnerships will vastly improve dealings with government bodies, private companies, and startups. Specialized training programs need to be created to sustain a skilled workforce of marine engineering. Sustainable innovation in marine engine technology needs to be supported to achieve climate targets and legislation that promotes domestic growth in merchant shipping needs to be established.
India possesses remarkable maritime engineering heritage rooted in ancient centuries with everlasting shipbuilding traditions that can be rejuvenated through the domestically guided design of marine engines. Creating self-reliant maritime sectors requires enabling youthful marine engineers, collaborating with industry leaders, and utilizing market opportunities.
The Path Forward
A coordinated approach is essential to realize a complete Atmanirbhar Bharat in the maritime sector.
Maritime startups and government bodies may collaborate to pool resources and expertise in engine technology research and development.
An enhanced manufacturing and engineering workforce could be created through specialized training initiatives. Institutes such as IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IMU Kolkata, and IISC have already achieved some excellence in the fields of marine, ocean, and mechanical engineering. The latest research facilities in their labs and workshops may be of high use to start-ups and researchers working towards maritime self-reliance.
The Govt may push this sector through tax benefits, subsidies, and deregulation to favour domestic production. State-level committees may also be formed to explore such stimulations.
The urgency for indigenous marine engines and ships
Indigenous shipbuilding offers India strategic benefits of wartime resilience and immunity from global sanctions, causing supply chain disruptions. Establishing Indian shipbuilding and repair facilities would also bring economic benefits through foreign exchange earnings from exporting ship technology and aftermarket repairs. As a result, this would uplift other industries like electronics, steel, and composite industries, generating employment in ports, supply chains, and ship designs.
About the Authors:
Ashutosh Kashyap is a finance professional and former marine engineer. His research interests include Risk Management, Development Economics, Maritime Economy, and Economic Espionage. He holds his publications in Indian Economic Journal, Economic & Political weekly and Journal of Accountancy Business and Public Interest.
Harsh Sinha is a Young Professional in Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, he is a graduate from Indian Maritime University, Kolkata. He had done research work at Ministry of External Affairs (C&WA Division. His interests include Public Policy, Geopolitics, and Maritime Strategy.
Kush Rana is a marine engineering cadet at Indian Maritime University, Kolkata. He is the founder of Marine Times, a news platform for maritime professionals and enthusiasts. He is also the member of Royal Institution of Naval Architects, and Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology.
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