Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia

Who was Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia?

Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia was a Parsi from Surat, India and was a member of the Wadia family of shipwrights and naval architects.

Known for his high standards of workmanship, Lovji Wadia secured contracts with the British East India Company to build ships and docks in Bombay in 1736. This, and subsequent efforts, would result in Bombay becoming a strategic port for the British colonial undertakings in Asia.

The Bombay dry-dock, the first dry-dock in Asia, was built by Lovji and his brother Sorabji in 1750.

Lovji is considered the founder of the shipping and shipbuilder industry in Bombay. To this day, Surat remains the largest break-up beaching port in the world.

The first Atash Adaran in India was established in Siganpur, near Surat, by Lovji Wadia, around 1760. His descendants are the Wadia family of Nusli Wadia, Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia.