HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has entered into a strategic partnership with Cochin Shipyard Limited to collaborate on the Indian Navy’s Landing Platform Dock (LPD) programme, marking the South Korean shipbuilder’s formal entry into India’s naval vessel market. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the cooperation was signed on 10 November.
The agreement seeks to promote joint execution of the Indian Navy’s LPD project through design collaboration and technical support. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries aims to leverage the partnership to establish a foothold in India’s special-purpose and defence shipbuilding segment.
Cochin Shipyard, based in Kerala, is India’s largest state-owned shipyard with experience in constructing a wide range of vessels, including merchant ships and aircraft carriers. The company is currently involved in the Indian Navy’s indigenous aircraft carrier programme and other complex shipbuilding projects.
The latest MoU builds on an earlier agreement signed in July between Cochin Shipyard and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding division. That pact covered cooperation in design, procurement, productivity improvement, and workforce development. The new agreement expands this partnership to encompass naval defence platforms.
Under the arrangement, the two companies will jointly develop designs and provide technical support for India’s next-generation amphibious assault ships. The LPD programme is part of the Indian government’s broader naval modernisation plan outlined in its Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap 2025, which envisions large-scale acquisitions including destroyers, landing ships, and nuclear-powered systems.
Industry estimates suggest that the Indian Navy plans to acquire four landing platform docks of around 29,000 tonnes each, with the total project cost estimated at approximately USD 9 billion. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries views the LPD initiative as a key opportunity to expand its presence in India’s high-value naval shipbuilding market.
“HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is the optimal partner for the Indian Navy’s modernisation project,” said Joo Won-ho, President of the Naval & Medium Business Division at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. “This cooperation will be an important turning point for entering the Indian naval vessel market,” he added.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, part of the HD Hyundai Group, is a major global builder of commercial and naval ships, offshore structures, and specialised vessels. Cochin Shipyard Limited operates under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and serves as India’s primary builder of complex naval and commercial vessels.
