Kolkata-based Defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd. on Tuesday (November 5, 2024) announced that it is currently in the process of building four ‘next-generation’ warships for the Indian Navy, reportedly the most advanced of all ocean-going patrol vessels so far in service with the Indian Coast Guard.
On Tuesday (November 5, 2024), the defence PSU laid the keels of two of these four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs), which are larger warships in comparison to the Offshore Patrol Vessels that the GRSE had earlier supplied to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
The keels were laid in the presence of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and senior officials of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, and the GRSE.
“This is a four-ship project wherein we are constructing NGOPVs for the Indian Navy. The contract was signed on March 30, 2023,” Mr. Hari said at the keel laying ceremony on Tuesday. “These ships when delivered are far more advanced than any of the ocean-going patrol vessels so far in service with the Indian Coast Guard,” he said.
He added that GRSE has already started production of all four ships, with the two ships whose keels were laid today having already reached an advanced stage of production.
These NGOPV platforms will be about 113 metres long and 14.6 metres wide, with a displacement of 3,000 Tons. The NGOPVs will achieve speeds of up to 23 knots. Their endurance will be 8,500 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots. The crew will comprise 24 officers and over 100 sailors.
According to GRSE, these next-generation warships will have greater endurance and firepower and can be used in different capacities, like participating in ‘Out of Area’ Contingency Operations, non-combatant evacuation, convoy operations, anti-piracy missions and counter-infiltration operations.
They can also take on poachers and traffickers, participate in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as search and rescue missions. They will also be able to operate as hospital and COMINT ships apart from providing fleet maintenance support.
“This is a proud moment for the entire nation… We are the third largest military power in the world,” Governor C.V. Ananda Bose said at the keel laying ceremony at GRSE on Tuesday. “We have tough competition… India can overcome steep competition in the shipbuilding sector.”
Meanwhile, the GRSE is also working on 12 other projects that include building 17 more warships for the Indian Navy, one warship for the Government of Bangladesh, 13 hybrid ferries and one fully electric ferry for West Bengal, and an oceanographic research vessel for the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Among the 12 projects, Mr. Hari also mentioned an acoustic research vessel and an autonomous platform for DRDO organisations, two more export orders from Bangladesh, and five multipurpose vessels for a German client.
Published - November 05, 2024 10:22 pm IST
