Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is an Indian shipbuilding and ship repair company located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the east coast of India. It is a public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and is one of the country's oldest and largest shipbuilding facilities.
| Name | Hindustan Shipyard Limited |
|---|---|
| Type | Public sector undertaking |
| Industry | Shipbuilding, ship repair, submarine refit |
| Headquarters | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Administrative ministry | Ministry of Defence, Government of India |
| Coast | Bay of Bengal (east coast) |
Hindustan Shipyard traces its origins to the Scindia Shipyard, established in Visakhapatnam in the pre-Independence era as part of efforts by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company to build indigenous merchant tonnage. After Independence, the yard was acquired by the Government of India and reorganised as a public sector enterprise. It was subsequently renamed Hindustan Shipyard Limited.
For much of its existence, HSL functioned under the Ministry of Shipping (and its successor ministries dealing with surface transport and shipping). In 2010, administrative control of the company was transferred to the Ministry of Defence, reflecting the strategic nature of its work, particularly its role in submarine refits and warship-related construction.
The yard's principal lines of business include:
The yard is situated on the inner harbour of Visakhapatnam Port and includes a building dock, wet basins, fabrication shops, and slipways. Its location on the Bay of Bengal places it close to other defence and maritime establishments in Visakhapatnam, including the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
Hindustan Shipyard is regarded as one of the foundational institutions of Indian shipbuilding. It built some of the first ocean-going ships constructed in independent India and has contributed to the country's capacity in heavy engineering, marine fabrication, and indigenous naval support. Its transfer to the Ministry of Defence underscored the role assigned to it in supporting India's naval modernisation, especially in the area of submarine maintenance.