Kavali : In a significant step toward strengthening India’s indigenous defence manufacturing and maritime technology capabilities, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education and IT Nara Lokesh laid the foundation stone for the country’s first Autonomous Maritime Shipyard and Systems Development Centre at Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour in Bogole mandal of Nellore district.
The project will be developed by Sagar Defence Engineering Private Limited with support from the Andhra Pradesh government. Upon his arrival at the harbour, Minister Lokesh was accorded a warm welcome by company representatives, public representatives, party leaders, and local residents.
During the event, the Minister unveiled the foundation plaque and visited an exhibition set up at the venue, where he reviewed details of the project.
The company plans to invest ₹45 crore in the first phase, which is expected to generate over 1,000 employment opportunities. For the project, the coalition government has allotted 29.58 acres of land on a lease basis at the Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour, including 7.58 acres of waterfront land. Commercial operations are expected to begin by November 2026.
The overall project will be developed across 200 acres and will focus on autonomous shipbuilding, maritime systems development, marine engineering, research, and innovation. The initiative is expected to strengthen the blue economy and maritime innovation ecosystem, positioning Andhra Pradesh as a hub for maritime robotics and autonomous shipbuilding.
Earlier, Minister Lokesh received a grand welcome at Kapparalathippa in Bogole mandal upon arriving in Nellore district. The reception was led by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and MLAs Prashanthi Reddy and Dagumati Venkata Krishna Reddy, along with party cadres and local residents.
The event was attended by several public representatives and officials, including MLAs Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Pulivarthi Nani, Bojjala Sudhir Reddy, Inturi Nageswara Rao, P. Sunil Kumar, N. Vijayashree, AP Maritime Board Chairman Damacharla Satyanarayana, MLCs Beeda Ravichandra Yadav, Bhoomireddy Rangopal Reddy, Balli Kalyana Chakravarthy, and Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd Founder and CEO Captain Nikunj Parashar, among others.
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