Deendayal Port Authority scrapped the shipbuilding cluster tender after receiving a single bid, citing inadequate qualification criteria.

The tender required bidders to have direct experience in constructing a VLCC-class shipyard, excluding joint ventures, which deterred South Korean companies. Local bidders also sought relaxed criteria, but the authority remained firm, allowing joint ventures but not altering minimum qualifications. The tender will be reissued with revised criteria. This is India’s first planned greenfield shipyard in 17 years, part of the government’s push to boost shipbuilding, including a ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund and infrastructure incentives.