Officials of South Korean major HD Korea Shipbuilding with State Industries Minister Keerthana and Industries Secretary Vijayakumar S
A senior delegation from South Korean major HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) led by global business team head Sunjoon Hong, have been on a 10-day visit to Tamil Nadu from September 1-10, and have carried out a detailed survey at Thoothukudi and held discussions with the State Industries minister and other top officials of the Directorate General of Shipping, the State Industries department said on Thursday.The discussions covered status of the Detailed Project Report of the shipbuilding cluster at Thoothukudi, incentive structuring, and the overall project timeline, it added.HD KSOE is a subsidiary of HD Hyundai group and manages all shipbuilding and offshore engineering operations of the business.businessline reported on Wednesday about the South Korean major meeting the state officials to advance discussions on the company’s investment in the Thoothukudi shipping cluster following MoUs signed earlier.During their meeting with Industries Minister in the Secretariat on Wednesday, the HD KSOE team assured that they are moving ahead with the project in Thoothukudi, and the Minister assured the company of the State Government’s full support, the department said. Subsequently, today, the HD KSOE also team met senior officials of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on the policy-level support required from the Government of India to take the project forward.This takes the project forward from the MoU stage in December last year into detailed technical and project planning.“The Government Order for the land transfer for the first phase of around 1700 acres has been given to SIPCOT by Government of Tamil Nadu, who will be building the common infrastructure along with VOC Port Authority. VoC Port Authority has issued the work order for the Detailed Feasibility Report (DFR), in consultation with HD KSOE and inception work has now begun at the proposed shipyard site. In parallel, an RFP has been floated inviting global consultants to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR), bringing international expertise into the planning of the shipyard and the wider maritime manufacturing ecosystem,” the industries department said, offering details of the developments.Earlier, the Industries Minister visited HD Hyundai’s Ulsan Shipyard in June 2026, and a senior HD KSOE/HD Hyundai delegation also met the CM of Tamil Nadu later. A continuous weekly coordination mechanism with HD KSOE is in place, bringing together Guidance Tamil Nadu, SIPCOT, VoC Port Authority and other stakeholders, the department noted.Beyond the shipyard itself, the Tamil Nadu is also building a wider industrial ecosystem around the project.For instance, Guidance Tamil Nadu is said to be facilitating discussions between HD KSOE and major Indian steel producers on technical requirements and quality validation. A talent pipeline is also being developed with the Tamil Nadu State Skill Development Mission, covering both blue-collar and white-collar roles, including the possibility of training in Korea followed by deployment at the Thoothukudi shipyard.Published on September 10, 2026
