There is a substantial fleet of ships in India used in the defense and commercial sectors. Due to the Indian government's MSE-friendly policies and push towards the Make-in-India approach as well as a recent boom in economic activities and sea borne trades, many firms are presently involved with new ships and related activities. However, considering the financial aspect, ship owners & marine management companies usually opt for repair services instead of buying new equipment and parts. There are also other factors, such as keeping the ship's well-maintained, adhering to the ever-changing regulations, complying with the new requirements and so on, that make the firms opt for ship repair and maintenance services.

While the number of ships in the country has been on the rise, there is still a lack of proper infrastructure and a competitive market for Ship repair and maintenance in India, which makes the ships opt for repairing services overseas. With a growing business potential of more than 40000 crores, the ship repairing and maintenance sector is presently booming with huge future opportunities and growth potentials. Even the Indian government is encouraging MSEs in the ship repair and maintenance business through financial and infrastructural assistance to boost its ship repair market.

Established in 1991, Cargo Gear Services (India) Pvt Ltd (CGSIPL) is a Mumbai-based ISO 9001 certified company and provides a wide range of servicessuch as inspection, servicing, repairing, testing and certification of lifting appliances, loose gear, life-saving appliances, fire-fighting appliances, anchors & anchor cables, fiberglass repair to boats, load testing of boats and their launching appliances to the oil & gas, marine& defense industry.

CGSIPL is the only company in India that has DNV approval for testing diving Kelley's systems. The firm is also providing various services to the defense sector and has recently completed the testing of six Scorpene class submarines& also has been providing services to the Indian Navy on the aircraft carrier.

A Vast Range of Services for the Indian Market
Founded in 1991 by Sukhdev Raj Sharma and Girdharilal Sharma, the firm initially started providing testing services for lifting appliances & loose gear for ships. Over the years, the firm kept evolving its services with the gradual evolution of marine equipment's. While the firm was initially into load testing, later it started providing services into the firefighting sector. In the early 2000s, the firm

also ventured into the lifeboat service sector and started carrying out fiberglass repairs on lifeboats. Presently, they are one of the leading service providers in the Ship repairing segment in India.

A Hardcore Testing Infrastructure
Coming to the vast range of services offered by the firm, the core competency of CGSIPL lies in its TESTING & CERTIFICATION SERVICES. According to Gaurav Sharma, Director, CGSIPL, "The USP of the company lies in its hardcore testing infrastructure. The team consists of technical people who understand the client's requirements and give them economical solutions. Emphasisis given more on safety and technical aspects alongwith providing quality service, which makes us a preferred partner for many of our clients.

Providing a Wide Range of Economical Services
CGSIPL is the only company that has created a portable test unit where the testing of certain types of equipment can be carried out offshore, on the rig or platform so that the client does not need to transport equipment's to shore from offshore for testing. The firm also ensures that the equipment's on the rigs and ships of their clients comply with the latest regulations due to the ever-changing demands of the market beforehand so that there is no compliance or regulation-related issues while working in a contract. The firm is also providing testing services for diving Kelley's in Diving Support Vessels. Kelley's are big cylinder tubes that store mixture of gases that are required by deep sea divers. All testing procedures are approved by classification societies as work is carried out on life-saving equipment's.

The firm is also providing new installations for fixed firefighting systems like CO2, NOVEC 1230, FM 200, kitchen hood systems in new ships/rigs/platforms as well as old ones. CGS is also the first and one of few firms in India that does the calibration of the flow meters on the Helideck foam system. The firm has recently worked as a subcontractor in over 100 vessels of the Indian Navy as a part of that project.

We at CGS strive to help our clients in reducing the downtime by ensuring the safety of their personnel and equipment

Vision & Future Roadmap
Since its establishment, CGS has been providing out-of-the-box, high-quality services to its clients for the last 32 years. The firm has been consistently updating its machinery,equipments, as well as providing latest technical training to its staff as per latest regulations while trying to provide something new to the clients that will be more cost-effective. The firm has been providing its wide range of services to some of the biggest brands in the oil and gas sector, such as ONGC, HPCL, BPCL, TATA Power, and so on. The firm is also providing services to some of the private industry giants, such as Transocean, Shelf Drilling, Dynamic Drilling, Dynasty Oil and Gas, Great Ship India, The Great Eastern Shipping Company and many more.

The firm was recently awarded for being among the TOP 10 Ship repair & maintenance companies in INDIA. CGS has a no-compromise policy when it comes to safety and quality. "We are continuously upgrading our systems to meet the demands of the growing marine and offshore industry by employing professionals who develop an efficient and effective system in delivering quality services to our clients. Our vision is to be a single window solutions provider to our clients by providing the best products and services on time", adds Gaurav.

Coming to future roadmaps, after having a complete market study done, the firm is coming up with four new verticals that are going to ensure that its clients are benefited by cost effective services. Indian companies usually opt for overseas companies for their service requirements owing to a lack of infrastructure in India, which costs lakhs. CGS is coming up with a roadmap to ensure all the services are available at a reasonable cost to clients in India. "It's not the money but the reputation that matters the most. We are committed to delivering quality services and products to ensure the availability and operational readiness of the Safety and Survival Systems, adds Gaurav.