An in-principle approval has been given to the Tamil Nadu government for a greenfield mega ship-building cluster at Thoothukudi, based on the recommendation of the Directorate General of Shipping, top sources in the Shipping Ministry told The Hindu on Tuesday. But they raised concern that there was no further communication from the State government and that a DPR (Detailed Project Report) was awaited to proceed with the process.This was after The Hindu reported on how India’s premier shipbuilding company Mazagon Dock Limited was looking at an investment in Andhra Pradesh after being pushed away by the Tamil Nadu government for the construction of a greenfield ship-building cluster at Thoothukudi. The State government is learnt to have brought a foreign company on-board. An in-principle approval has also been given for the project.“But, there is no movement on that front for some time now. We have been discussing it, but nothing has been moving forward. We do not know what has happened after the in-principle approval. There seems to be a lack of communication,” a senior official from the Ministry of Shipping told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. When asked if the process for competitive bidding was followed before a SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) was formed, he said that DG Shipping does not have any role in ascertaining that.“As per the guidelines, the National Ship Building Mission is the decision-making authority. It takes the decision on the basis of the recommendation given by DG Shipping. After the first stage was reviewed, in-principle approval was granted. We have mentioned in the letter that all the necessary clearances should be submitted. But we haven’t yet received the DPR,” the official said.Meanwhile, sources in Mazagon Dock Limited said they were willing to wait to hear back from the Tamil Nadu government on the Thoothukudi project. “It cannot be denied that it is a strategic location with deep-water access, extensive coastal land, favourable seabed conditions, natural cyclone shielding and proximity to international shipping lanes,” a senior official of MDL said on condition of anonymity.The Tamil Nadu government, however, did not respond to any of the detailed queries sent by The Hindu despite repeated follow-ups. Published - June 09, 2026 09:27 pm IST