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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

MRIDC speeds up Elphinstone ROB, completion in Sep

Mumbai: Come Ganeshotsav, Mumbai is poised to get an eye-catching landmark – the ambitious Elphinstone Double-Decker Road Overbridge, being fast-tracked to provide a key link to the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor and Atal Setu, officials said. The double-decker ROB, will dramatically arise by Sep. 2026 from the ashes of the 112-year-old British-era Elphinstone Bridge that is being demolished since Oct. 225 after it outlived its utility. The swank double-decker coming up in its place will be a...

MRIDC speeds up Elphinstone ROB, completion in Sep

Mumbai: Come Ganeshotsav, Mumbai is poised to get an eye-catching landmark – the ambitious Elphinstone Double-Decker Road Overbridge, being fast-tracked to provide a key link to the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor and Atal Setu, officials said. The double-decker ROB, will dramatically arise by Sep. 2026 from the ashes of the 112-year-old British-era Elphinstone Bridge that is being demolished since Oct. 225 after it outlived its utility. The swank double-decker coming up in its place will be a decisive leap in urban mobility for the country’s commercial capital, with hopes to unclog it's perpetually-jammed arterial routes while seamlessly connecting Mumbai to expanding eastern waterfront besides residential and commercial complexes in the region. Being built by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSRIDC) Ltd. at a cost of a little over Rs. 167-cr, hectic work is on to demolish the old bridge, built in 1913 that connected Prabhadevi-Parel. Giant cranes at work The precision engineering of the work involves two gigantic 800-tonne cranes which are deployed to lift and remove the massive sections of the old razed structure. This challenging yet delicate operation is being carried on live railway lines without disrupting the Mumbai lifelines of the Central Railway and Western Railway corridors, thanks to meticulous planning and coordination, said an official. The new double-decker ROB will not merely replace the old bridge, but is set to redefine connectivity in the region. Spanning 132 metres across the two busy railway lines, described as a ‘rare and technically complex achievement in a dense urban terrain’ like south Mumbai. The bridge’s twin-level configuration is custom-engineered for efficiency for both commuters and pedestrians and traffic movement. To boost people-traffic pace The lower deck will have a 2+2 lanes plus a footpath, to ensure continued east-west access for the local commuters or pedestrians, while the 2+2 lanes upper deck minus the public walkway, would provide a crucial artery of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor, affording a swift, signal-free link to the iconic Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and onwards. This would enable a much faster access to Navi Mumbai and beyond, reduced vehicular congestion at various points while opening up a new spine of regional connectivity and growth. The double-decker bridge is engineered with a robust ‘Open Web Girder’ superstructure - a design suited to heavy railway crossings – with an eye on long-term durability and future capacity. “It reflects a broader shift in infrastructure thinking: building upward where horizontal expansion is no longer feasible,” said an official. Game-changer for Mumbai traffic He said that the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor itself is itself envisioned as a game-changer for Mumbai’s east-west mobility, easing pressure on overburdened roads and integrating with larger transport networks that are reshaping the city and the bustling Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). “With a seamless link to the MTHL (Atal Setu), the corridor will boost the city’s strategic push towards decongestion, economic expansion and overall development of the surroundings,” said the official, as the project races to catch the Sep. 2026 deadline. A joint-venture of Maharashtra government and the Ministry of Railways, MahaRail is entrusted with accelerating rail and road infrastructure in the state, eliminate level-crossings to enhance safety, streamline rail-and-road traffic, and is executing several new railway lines, ROBs, RUBs, subways and flyovers.

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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