Udupi: Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL) has delivered India’s first green dry cargo vessel, Wilson Eco 1, to Norway’s Wilson Ship Management AS. The 3,800 DWT diesel-electric vessel was handed over at a ceremony held at New Mangalore Port, attended by representatives from UCSL, Wilson, and the New Mangalore Port Authority.
Built at a cost of Rs 506 crore, Wilson Eco 1 is the first in a series of six green vessels being constructed for the Norwegian firm. Designed by Conoship International of the Netherlands, the ship is equipped to operate in European inland and coastal waters. It is also future-ready for battery hybrid and wind-foil upgrades, aligning with Norway’s broader efforts to decarbonise short-sea shipping.
This vessel marks UCSL’s first international commercial delivery since it was revived under Cochin Shipyard Limited in 2020. The yard, which has previously executed projects for the Kochi Water Metro and Indian fisheries programmes, employed more than 800 Indian workers and trained over 100 through national skilling schemes for this project.
Key components of the vessel come from Sweden, the Netherlands, and India, and the ship is classed by Bureau Veritas under the Norwegian flag.
Wilson Ship Management, which operates Europe’s largest short-sea cargo network, has also placed an additional order with UCSL for eight 6,300 DWT general cargo vessels worth Rs 1,041 crore, extending the collaboration between the two companies.
BI Bureau
