Kolkata: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd plans to deliver five warships to the Navy by the end of 2026-27. This was announced by Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), chairman and managing director, GRSE, on Tuesday, August 11, during the launch of the Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV), named Shruti, in Kolkata.
Shruti is the second of four NGOPVs, being built by GRSE, to be launched. The first one, Sanghmitra, was launched on May 20 this year.
“We are now building nine warships, including these four NGOPVs. We shall be delivering five of them by the end of this financial year. We shall also be launching the two remaining NGOPVs by then,” Cmde Hari said.
The warships that will be delivered are the advanced stealth guided missile frigate Vindhyagiri and four Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASWSWCs). Shruti was launched by Manika Sadhu, wife of Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition (CWP&A), Indian Navy, amidst rituals and chanting of shlokas.
Vice Admiral Sadhu was the chief guest at the occasion.
The NGOPVs will be much larger warships than the Offshore Patrol Vessels built earlier, and have greater endurance. These ships will also have advanced sensors and equipment on board. These platforms will be about 113 metres long and 14.6 metres wide, with a displacement of 3,000 tonnes.
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 NGOPVs will play a variety of roles. With a draught requirement of only 4 metres, they would be able to operate in coastal waters, protecting offshore assets, carrying out maritime interdiction, as well as visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) operations.
They will also be part of presence-cum-surveillance and mine warfare missions while having the capability to support special operations. These warships will also participate in ‘Out of Area’ Contingency Operations, non-combatant evacuation, convoy operations, anti-piracy missions and counter-infiltration operations.
Apart from these, they will also 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.
Cmde Hari expressed a bit of concern over the lack of fresh orders from the Navy and Coast Guard, though. “Our core business is warship building. Once we have delivered the five warships, our order book for naval platforms will come down significantly. This is a matter of concern. However, I am sure that things will look up with the order for the Next Generation Corvettes,” the GRSE CMD said.
(IANS)
