Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana announced that she visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard and headquarters in South Korea, where she toured the shipbuilding facilities, observed advanced production systems, and held discussions on potential areas of cooperation. This is the first foreign visit of Tamil Nadu's Industries Minister, who assumed office barely a month ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;This visit comes at a time when there are discussions to potentially set up a greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, with HD Hyundai as an anchor player. This proposal is being touted as an important one in advancing India’s shipbuilding ambitions and Tamil Nadu’s vision for maritime growth.&nbsp;HD Hyundai’s experience in developing and operating world-class shipyards, building large commercial vessels, and integrating marine engineering and production systems will be valuable as Tamil Nadu works to create a globally competitive shipbuilding ecosystem, said the Minister. This project has the potential to generate large-scale employment, attract global suppliers, strengthen domestic shipbuilding capability, create opportunities for MSMEs and ancillary industries, and position Tamil Nadu as a major contributor to India’s maritime and Blue Economy ambitions, she added.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Minister Keerthana’s visit to the Ulsan shipyard once again demonstrates the Tamil Nadu state government’s firm commitment to fostering the shipbuilding industry as a core strategic industry,” adding, “We plan to successfully move forward with the project through continuous bilateral communication and consultation," read a quote attributed to an HD Hyundai official.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-govt-12-years-how-india-s-shift-to-zero-tolerance-on-terrorism-reshaped-national-security-1781002708397">12 Years of Modi Govt: How India’s shift to zero tolerance on terrorism reshaped national security</a>&nbsp;In December 2025, when the DMK Government was ruling Tamil Nadu, HD Hyundai, the holding company of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, had signed a preliminary agreement with the state Government to build a new shipyard. Back then, a company spokesperson had said:&nbsp;the Indian government had earlier suggested five candidate states - including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh -for the project.&nbsp;&nbsp;HD&nbsp;Hyundai&nbsp;selected Thoothukudi, in Tamil Nadu, as the most suitable location for the new shipyard, as the temperature and rainfall patterns are similar to those of Ulsan, the South Korean port city that houses HD&nbsp;Hyundai's shipyards. So far, the quantum of investment or the project&nbsp;implementation roadmap has not been made public. &nbsp;

Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana visited HD Hyundai’s Ulsan shipyard in South Korea amid talks to establish a greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Thoothukudi. The proposed project could boost jobs, MSMEs, and India’s maritime ambitions, though investment details remain undisclosed.

Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana announced that she visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard and headquarters in South Korea, where she toured the shipbuilding facilities, observed advanced production systems, and held discussions on potential areas of cooperation. This is the first foreign visit of Tamil Nadu's Industries Minister, who assumed office barely a month ago. This visit comes at a time when there are discussions to potentially set up a greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, with HD Hyundai as an anchor player. This proposal is being touted as an important one in advancing India’s shipbuilding ambitions and Tamil Nadu’s vision for maritime growth. HD Hyundai’s experience in developing and operating world-class shipyards, building large commercial vessels, and integrating marine engineering and production systems will be valuable as Tamil Nadu works to create a globally competitive shipbuilding ecosystem, said the Minister. This project has the potential to generate large-scale employment, attract global suppliers, strengthen domestic shipbuilding capability, create opportunities for MSMEs and ancillary industries, and position Tamil Nadu as a major contributor to India’s maritime and Blue Economy ambitions, she added. “Minister Keerthana’s visit to the Ulsan shipyard once again demonstrates the Tamil Nadu state government’s firm commitment to fostering the shipbuilding industry as a core strategic industry,” adding, “We plan to successfully move forward with the project through continuous bilateral communication and consultation," read a quote attributed to an HD Hyundai official. Also read: 12 Years of Modi Govt: How India’s shift to zero tolerance on terrorism reshaped national security In December 2025, when the DMK Government was ruling Tamil Nadu, HD Hyundai, the holding company of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, had signed a preliminary agreement with the state Government to build a new shipyard. Back then, a company spokesperson had said: the Indian government had earlier suggested five candidate states - including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh -for the project. HD Hyundai selected Thoothukudi, in Tamil Nadu, as the most suitable location for the new shipyard, as the temperature and rainfall patterns are similar to those of Ulsan, the South Korean port city that houses HD Hyundai's shipyards. So far, the quantum of investment or the project implementation roadmap has not been made public.

Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana visited HD Hyundai’s Ulsan shipyard in South Korea amid talks to establish a greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Thoothukudi. The proposed project could boost jobs, MSMEs, and India’s maritime ambitions, though investment details remain undisclosed.

HD Hyundai shipyard in Tamil Nadu; Industries Minister in South Korea for talks

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HD Hyundai shipyard in Tamil Nadu; Industries Minister in South Korea for talks