Shares of Cochin Shipyard soared 5% on 9 October after its wholly owned subsidiary, Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited (Hooghly-CSL), secured a major domestic order to build two luxury river cruise vessels. 

The contract is valued between Rs 100 crore and Rs 250 crore and will support the expansion of premium river tourism on the Brahmaputra River. The order has been awarded by Heritage River Journeys Private Limited, which operates under the brand name Antara River Cruises. 

The agreement for the first vessel has been signed, while the company has received a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the second vessel. The final contract value will fall within the company’s classification for a notable order.

The vessels will be designed for luxury river travel, combining passenger comfort with safety and environmental sustainability. 

Their deployment will mark a significant step for India’s inland waterway tourism industry, particularly on the Brahmaputra, where premium cruise operations have considerable potential to attract domestic and international travellers.

Antara River Cruises already operates luxury journeys across the Ganga, Padma and Brahmaputra river systems. Its flagship vessel, Ganga Vilas, is known for a journey covering more than 3,200 kilometres across 27 rivers. The new vessels are expected to strengthen the company’s fleet and expand its offerings in India’s growing river cruise market.

For Hooghly-CSL, the project adds to its shipbuilding portfolio and demonstrates its ability to build specialised vessels for the tourism sector. The order also aligns with India’s broader push to develop inland waterways and encourage domestic shipbuilding under the government’s Make in India initiative.

Cochin Shipyard has clarified that the contract is not a related-party transaction and that neither its promoters nor group companies have an interest in the contracting entity.

At 2:10 pm, the shares of Cochin Shipyard were trading 2.33% higher at Rs 1,228 on NSE. 

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