{"id":30786,"date":"2026-08-31T19:18:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/make-in-india-on-high-seas-kochi-firm-unveils-five-indigenous-watercraft-lines-to-cut-imports-eye-global-markets\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T19:18:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:48:30","slug":"make-in-india-on-high-seas-kochi-firm-unveils-five-indigenous-watercraft-lines-to-cut-imports-eye-global-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/make-in-india-on-high-seas-kochi-firm-unveils-five-indigenous-watercraft-lines-to-cut-imports-eye-global-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"Make In India On High Seas: Kochi Firm Unveils Five Indigenous Watercraft Lines To Cut Imports, Eye Global Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Left to Right: Abhilash Tomy NM (Retd) and Jose Babu Maliakel, Founder-CEO of MKEL<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Kochi (Kerala) [India], August 31:<\/strong> In a bid to position Kerala as a hub for high-performance boating and composite engineering, Kochi-based watercraft specialist MKEL Marine<\/strong> on Saturday launched five lines of indigenously built watercraft<\/strong>, aiming to reduce India\u2019s reliance on imported high-end boats while opening international markets.<\/p>\n

The range \u2014 designed, engineered and manufactured at the company\u2019s facility in Njarakkal<\/strong> to international standards \u2014 was unveiled by circumnavigator Commander Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM (Retd)<\/strong>, the first Indian to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.<\/p>\n

The launch marks a structural push toward indigenous maritime manufacturing, targeting eco-tourism, leisure boating, offshore support operations and competitive watersports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Range<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. MKEL Touring & Expedition Kayaks<\/strong> \u2014 hydrodynamic, ultra-light composite craft for touring, expedition paddling, eco-tourism and competitive watersports.<\/p>\n

2. MKEL Stand-Up Paddle Boards & Surfboards<\/strong> \u2014 rigid composite boards in a category long dominated by imported inflatables, built for coastal and backwater conditions.<\/p>\n

3. MKEL Velor Powerboat Series<\/strong> \u2014 an ocean-going powerboat platform built in impact-resistant marine composites, with applications spanning sports fishing, offshore day cruising, coastal patrol and surveillance, dive and charter operations, and resort and luxury transfers.<\/p>\n

4. MKEL Work Boats<\/strong> \u2014 rugged, fuel-efficient working craft for crew transfer, diving support, passenger transport, harbour and backwater operations, and marine survey and inspection support.<\/p>\n

5. MKEL Sailing Yachts<\/strong> \u2014 series-built sailing yachts under an international design partnership: the ORC 33, a 9.9-metre performance racing sailboat, and the Explorer 39, a 12-metre blue-water cruising yacht.<\/p>\n

\"Kochi<\/figure>\n

Strategic Tie-Up and Global Ambitions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking at the launch, Founder-CEO and naval architect Jose Babu Maliakel<\/strong> outlined the firm\u2019s vision for the state\u2019s industrial footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy integrating globally benchmarked composite technology with indigenous naval design, we are laying the groundwork for a structural transformation in India\u2019s leisure and performance maritime industry. Our mission is to evolve Kerala into Asia\u2019s flagship hub for high-performance watercraft manufacturing and design,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> Maliakel said.<\/p>\n

To support its global reach, MKEL Marine has entered into a non-exclusive design licensing agreement with Perth-based B&G Yacht Design<\/strong>, founded by renowned yacht designer Roberto Barros. Under the agreement, the Kochi unit will build and sell two B&G sailing yacht designs \u2014 the ORC 33 and the Explorer 39<\/strong> \u2014 worldwide, executing plug and mould construction and classification documentation in-house.<\/p>\n

Capital Expenditure and Job Creation Roadmap<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having invested Rs 2.5 crore<\/strong> to date, the firm has set out a roadmap to scale infrastructure and technical capacity:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Capital expenditure:<\/strong> total investment to be scaled to Rs 10 crore by 2027<\/strong>, directed at production moulds for the sailing yachts, powerboat and work boat lines, a larger waterside manufacturing facility, and the commencement of works on a marina and experience centre.<\/li>\n
  • Workforce:<\/strong> a combined team of production engineers, design engineers and composite manufacturing technicians to grow to 35 by the end of 2026, 60 by the end of 2027 and 100 by the end of 2028<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • Exports:<\/strong> target markets include Europe, the Middle East, South-East Asia and the Maldives<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    With this rollout, MKEL Marine aims to establish Kerala as a domestic leader in advanced composite manufacturing and an emerging exporter of marine lifestyle products.<\/p>\n

    If you object to the content of this press release, please notify us at pr.error.rectification@gmail.com. We will respond and rectify the situation within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Left to Right: Abhilash Tomy NM (Retd) and Jose Babu Maliakel, Founder-CEO of MKEL Kochi (Kerala) [India], August 31: In…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-30786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wowentrepreneurs.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}