Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), a Miniratna Category 1, Defence PSU, signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence for construction of 04 Next Generation offshore Patrol Vessels on 30th March 2023. The Total Project Cost of 04 GRSE Vessels is around Rupees 3500/- crore. The first Vessel is to be delivered within 44 months from Contract Signing and subsequent Vessels at 06 months intervals.
The Contract was signed between JS&AM (M&S, Ministry of Defence), Dharmendra Kumar Singh, IA & AS (2000) and Cdr Shantanu Bose, IN (Retd), Director (Shipbuilding), GRSE in the presence of Pankaj Agarwal, IAS, DG (Acquisition), Cmde PR Hari. IN(Retd.), CMD GRSE, RAdm S Mehta, ACWP&A, Indian Navy and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence, Indian Navy & GRSE.
The length of the NGOPVs will be 110 m (Approx) with displacement around 2900 Tons and max speed more than 23 knots. The NGOPV should be capable of fulfilling roles such as Seaward Defence, ‘Out of Area’ Contingency Ops (OOAC), Non-Combatant Evacuation Ops (NEO), Convoy Operations/Anti-Piracy Missions, Counter Infiltration Ops, Anti-Poaching/Trafficking, HADR, Search and Rescue Missions, Hospital Ship, Fleet Maintenance Support and COMINT Ship.
The journey of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., a premier Warship building Company in India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, a PCMM Level-2 Certified Company, dates back to 1884. The Company was taken over by the Government of India in 1960. First shipyard of independent India to build a Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) INS Ajay for Indian Navy in 1961, GRSE also built the first ever Indian Export Warship “CGS Barracuda”. The shipyard was conferred the status of a Miniratna Category I Company in 2006. Over last 63 years, GRSE has built 788 platforms including 107 warships for Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and Government of Mauritius & Seychelles Coast Guard – highest warships built & delivered by any Indian shipyard till date. From Frigates, Corvettes, Fleet Tankers, Landing Ship Tank, Landing Craft Utility to Survey Vessels, Offshore Patrol Vessels and Fast Attack Craft – the repertoire is rich and varied. In addition to ship building, GRSE is also engaged in engine production and other engineering activities. The engineering division manufactures deck machinery items, pre-fabricated portable steel bridges and marine pumps.
Noteworthy accolades include Raksha Mantri Award 2022 in Designing the most silent ship for Indian Navy for ASW operation, Defence Minister’s Award for Excellence for In-house Design Effort for Offshore Patrol Vessel for Government of Mauritius, CGS Barracuda, Best Performing Defence Shipyard of India for Four Years in a row. GRSE embraced infrastructure modernization over past decades and delightful impact was perceived in the concurrent construction of 20 ships at a time. Team of highly skilled design engineers and state of art VR Lab & latest software cater to the in-house design capabilities. With proven credentials, the shipyard is on a growth path, reaffirming its motto “In Pursuit of Excellence and Quality in Shipbuilding.
