India's domestically-owned fleet has been small for some
time now, with the state-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) dominating
the market when it comes to fleet size and tonnage.
Now, with 69 ships, Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd has
overtaken SCI to become India’s biggest shipowner by fleet size, moving ahead
in a market that has been dominated by the state-owned corporation for years
now.
In comparison, SCI now owns 59 ships to Great Eastern's 69.
But SCI is still ahead when it comes to deadweight tonnage. SCI’s 59 ships add
up to a total of 5.3 million dwt, representing 35 percent of India’s total
tonnage. Great Eastern, with its fleet of 69, has about 3.9 million dwt
(excluding its four oil drilling rigs), accounting for a 25 percent share of
the country’s shipping tonnage.
Breaking down the fleets of both the companies, here is a
consolidated list:
SCI (59 ships): two container ships, 15 bulkers, one LPG /
ammonia carrier, 10 offshore vessels, 13 product tankers, 13 crude tankers and
five very large crude carriers (VLCCs).
Great Eastern (69 ships): 11 crude tankers, 17 product
tankers, 5 LPG carriers, 13 bulkers, 19 offshore vessels and four drilling
rigs.
One area in which Great Eastern has been extremely
successful is in the second-hand market. The firm has been actively involved in
buying and selling vessels, acquiring nine ships since 2018 and selling seven
ships for further trading or scrapping.