Garden Reach Shipbuilders Lays Keels For Two Next-Gen Offshore Patrol Vessels

Warship-maker Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. on Tuesday laid the keels, marking the beginning of construction, of two next generation offshore patrol vessels, an official said here. The Kolkata-based Defence PSU is building four NGOPVs for the Indian Navy and these are the first two of those, he said.

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, who was the chief guest at the programme at the GRSE headquarters here, expressed immense pride in India's journey in becoming a formidable global power in shipbuilding, rivaling industry giants worldwide.

GRSE has built and delivered several offshore patrol vessels to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, the official said.

The NGOPVs will be much larger warships than the OPVs built earlier with greater endurance and firepower and will be about 113 metres long and 14.6 metres wide, with a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, the GRSE official said.

The NGOPVs will achieve speeds of up to 23 knots and have an endurance of 8,500 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots, he said, adding that the crew will comprise 24 officers and over 100 sailors.

'With a draught requirement of only four metres, the vessels would be able to operate in coastal waters, protecting offshore assets, carrying out maritime interdiction, as well as conducting visit, board, search and seizure operations,' the official said.

Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, P R Hari, said that the shipyard is currently constructing 43 marine platforms and these include warships, specialised research vessels, autonomous platforms and green energy vessels.

"Considering our current order book, the execution strategy for the ongoing projects, we are confident of maintaining our technology driven growth," he said.

Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.