Harkamal Maritime Industries
We’ve all had that moment when something breaks down and needs fixing. Now, imagine that ‘something’ is a massive cargo ship! Did you know that these floating giants require constant maintenance and repairs, sometimes in the middle of the ocean? It’s like fixing a skyscraper while it’s moving!
Underwater welding, robotic inspections, and 3D-printed parts—the ship repair industry isn’t just about hammers and wrenches anymore. It’s a high-tech field where innovation keeps the world’s fleet afloat. And you might be surprised by the advanced techniques they use.
The global ship repair industry, a critical component of maritime operations, is characterized by stringent quality standards and intense competition. Ship owners demand reliable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions to ensure the operational excellence of their vessels. In a sector where trust and technical expertise are paramount, companies must demonstrate exceptional capabilities and a commitment to innovation to succeed. Navigating this complex landscape requires a comprehensive understanding of maritime regulations, technological advancements, and the unique challenges faced by ship owners.
Harkamal Maritime Industries Private Limited, led by Capt. Pradeep Kant Gaur (CEO & Director) and Neelam Gaur (Managing Director), is a leading player in this demanding industry. Established in 2016, the company emerged from a recognized gap in reliable ship repair services, drawing upon Capt. Gaur’s 30+ years of experience in the shipping and port sector and Neelam Gaur’s 18+ years of administrative and financial expertise. From humble beginnings, tackling smaller projects for Indian ship owners, Harkamal Maritime has rapidly expanded its clientele to include renowned shipping companies worldwide, solidifying its reputation through unwavering quality and innovative repair methods. The company is proud recipient of prestigious Maritime Excellence Achievers Award for Ship Building and Repair category instituted by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways during Global Maritime India Summit 2023.
Harkamal Maritime distinguishes itself by offering end-to-end ship repair, maintenance, and supply solutions. This comprehensive approach, encompassing hull and machinery repairs, underwater services, electrical and navigational repairs, and more, positions them as a single point of contact for ship owners, significantly reducing time and costs. Their unique advantage stems from their diverse business verticals, including civil, mechanical, dredging, and marine consultancy, enabling them to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions. By adhering to the principles of quality and reliability and by executing complex, first-of-their-kind repairs in India, they have earned the trust and repeat business of their global clientele.
In the spotlight are Capt. Pradeep Kant Gaur (CEO & Director) and Neelam Gaur (Managing Director) of Harkamal Maritime Industries Private Limited, were featured in an interview for our prestigious “The 10 Leading Ship Repair Firms Ensuring Operational Excellence in 2025” edition. Learn from their insights and valuable lessons as entrepreneurs to excel and build a leading company. Stay tuned to discover their remarkable tale of success.
Prime Insights: Can you introduce your company and its core mission in the ship repair industry?
Harkamal Maritime Industries is a comprehensive marine service provider for ships, ports, and exporters-importers. Ship repairs are a part of our business. We have several business verticals in our organization in-house and provide 100% holistic solutions to ship repairs at any port so that the customer does not have to deal with several agencies like suppliers, ports, transporters, authorities, etc. We undertake entire responsibility for successfully executing any work as a single point of contact, which provides huge time and cost benefits to the ship owners.
“Innovation, trust, and excellence—Harkamal Maritime Industries is keeping the world’s fleet afloat with precision and reliability.”
Prime Insights: What inspired you to establish your company, and what specific challenges in the maritime sector does it address?
The company was started in the year 2016 by Promoter Director Capt. Pradeep Kant Gaur has over 30 years of experience in the shipping and port industry, and Mrs. Neelam Gaur is a finance professional having over 18 years of administrative and finance experience. The lack of reliable ship repair companies during our shipping and port industry career prompted us to set up a reliable ship repair company.
Prime Insights: What were the biggest challenges you faced in the early days of your ship repair business, and how did you overcome them?
Initial periods was tough to convince the ship owners to assign the sensitive work of ship repairs to an unproven company. We started with small works for Indian shipowners and proved the quality of our repairs to shipowners. The shipping industry is small and highly networked. The name and the quality of services provided by Harkamal Maritime Industries started growing steadily, and here we are serving all the reputed shipping companies of the world. Now our client base is worldwide.
Prime Insights: How is your company redefining “trust” in the ship repair industry, and what sets it apart from competitors?
We differentiate ourselves from other players in this segment through our research and innovative methods of carrying out ship repairs. We do not rely upon just meeting the statutory standards of ship repairs but strive to achieve the best possible quality in whatever work we undertake. This philosophy is adhered to by the entire Team-Harkamal, and this is how we stand apart.
Prime Insights: What are your company’s flagship services or solutions that distinguish it in the ship repair and maintenance market?
We provide end-to-end services for the ship repair, maintenance and supply requirements of the ship owners. The range of services includes hull and machinery repairs, underwater inspection-hull cleaning, Salvage, and underwater cutting-welding-insert repairs. Electrical repairs, radio-navigational repairs, LSA-FFA servicing, hold and tank cleaning, calibration and testing of all types, cargo fumigation, supply of bunker fuels, Fresh water and ship stores, and blasting and painting services. We also manage waste reception facilities at Indian ports. We are also licensed customs house brokers, ship agents, and ship and cargo surveyors.
As we also have separate business verticals of civil, mechanical, and dredging works plus marine and port project consultancy, this gives us a wider knowledge base and distinct advantage to carry out research and innovations over traditional ship repair companies in order to come up with innovative and cost-effective solutions for the ship owners.
Additionally, we also design, construct and install navigational channel buoys and have supplied them to various ports.
Prime Insights: How do you perceive customer trust evolving in today’s dynamic and competitive maritime industry?
The customers are ship owners, and their major expectations are quality services at competitive prices. Everyone in this business must adhere to a minimum specified quality of work as per stipulated standards of the International Maritime Organization, the Directorate General of Shipping, and various classification societies.
Most of the ship repairs are planned well in advance, and pricing plays the most important role in the decision-making of ship owners. However, quality takes precedence over price in the case of complex and challenging works, and we are happy to share that we are called upon to take up most of such complex works.
Prime Insights: What strategies have you employed to build a strong brand presence and long-term customer relationships?
Ship repairs are still a very small sector within the definition of industry, and it runs on the trust between ship owners and ship repair companies developed through the display of technical capabilities. We deliver the best possible services to all our clients each time, and this fosters brand presence and long-term relationships with the clients.
Prime Insights: Have you introduced any groundbreaking innovations, new service offerings, or operational transformations this year?
We have carried out a few extremely complex works, such as Salvage of a Hydrogen powered Carbon fibre construction Super yacht at Alibaug public beach, permanent insert repairs on a bilge keel vertical crack on a laden Cape-size at 17 m draft and the opening and overhauling of the entire ballast line system of a laden Cape-size at 18 m draft. Complete renewal of hatch panel and loaded cargo grab plates, beams etc after these suffered serious distortions and damages through a fall, Refurbishing of fully burnt accommodation cabins of a Panamax during sailing, salvage of a 90 MT dredge tube buried under the seabed using flotation devices, complete renewal of entire hull plating of trailing hopper dredger, repairs to major damages of the engine gearbox and high sea engine repairs of a disabled chemical tanker.
Anchor and cable renewals of Capesize as well as many other vessels, windlass-mooring winch-cargo crane repairs, etc. Some of these works were successfully executed for the first time in India, and this has proven the quality of the works carried out by Harkamal Maritime.
Prime Insights: How do you assess and measure the level of trust and reliability your customers have in your ship repair services?
Repeat inquiries and orders from reputable ship owners are a true testimony of the trust and reliability our customers have in us. We have close to a 100% customer retention rate.
Prime Insights: What are your company’s future goals and vision for the coming years in the ship repair and maritime industry?
Our aim is to become a fully self-sustained ship repairer in each and every aspect of ship repairs, which is a long way to go. We are continuously working towards bringing more and more ship repair business to our nation, which at present is being done at more mature destinations. As the ship repair industry is being prioritized by the government, we aim to be part of the envisaged growth.
