Pune’s Kirloskar Oil Engines Wins Prestigious Indian Navy Order for Indigenous Marine Diesel Engine Development
Pune – Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited (KOEL) has signed a landmark Project Sanction Order under the Make–I category with the Indian Navy for the design and development of a 6MW Medium Speed Marine Diesel Engine. The agreement was formalized on 2nd April 2025 in the presence of Shri Sanjeev Kumar IAS, Secretary (Defence Production), and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. Representing KOEL were Mr. Vinod Menon, Head of Industrial Business; Mr. Sachin Kejriwal, Chief Financial Officer; Mr. Sanjay Mujumdar, Head, Marine and Defence Business; and Mr. Najeeb Rahman, Marine Segment Leader.
This initiative will see the development of a prototype engine with over 50% indigenous content at a cost of ₹270 crore, with 70% of the funding provided by the Government of India. As part of the project, KOEL will design and develop medium speed engines in-house, scalable from 3 MW to 10 MW, to be used for Main Propulsion and Power Generation on Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard ships.
Currently, many of these marine engines are imported. This project is a major stride in India’s quest for self-reliance and technological indigenisation in the defence sector, aligning with the Government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
Kirloskar Oil Engines expressed pride in being chosen for this vital project, calling it a testimony to their commitment to ‘Make in India’ and their ethos of being an ‘India First’ organisation. The indigenous design and development will be undertaken by KOEL’s own R&D teams, showcasing the company’s deep engineering and innovation capabilities.
Gauri Kirloskar, Managing Director of Kirloskar Oil Engines, remarked, “We are honoured to be selected by the Indian Navy for this prestigious project and to have the opportunity to contribute to the building of our nation. This is a proud moment for all of us at KOEL, and I am sure that with the technical and R&D strength that we have, we will be able to deliver yet another world class product to the Indian Navy. We would like to thank the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Navy for their support and guidance.”
About Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited (KOEL)
With over 75 years of legacy, KOEL is a global leader in internal combustion engines, generator sets, and farm equipment. Its product portfolio spans air-cooled and liquid-cooled engines for industrial use, generator sets from 3 kW to 10 MW, and engines that operate on ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, and dual/flexi fuel solutions. KOEL also has a strong foothold in markets such as construction, railways, fire-fighting, and mining. It operates across 60+ countries, with offices in Dubai, South Africa, Kenya, and Houston, and is renowned for innovation, engineering excellence, and customer-centric solutions.
