New Delhi, July 16

In yet another remarkable achievement, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd signed a contract with National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, for the construction and delivery of an Ocean Research Vessel (ORV). The contract was signed in Goa by Cdr Shantanu Bose, IN (Retd), Director (Shipbuilding), GRSE, and Shri M M Subramaniam, Scientist I/C, Vessel Operation and Management, NCPOR, in the presence of Dr Thamban Meloth, Director, NCPOR and senior officials from GRSE & NCPOR.

GRSE has necessary expertise in the field of survey vessels and has been building them for the Indian Navy for nearly four decades now. Even now, the Marine Acoustic Research Vessel INS Sagardhwani that was built by GRSE in 1994 is being refitted at the shipyard. On December 4, 2023, GRSE delivered the INS Sandhayak – the largest survey vessel to be built in India – to the Navy. Three more vessels of this class are at various stages of completion at the shipyard at the moment. This experience will stand GRSE good when designing and building the ORV for NCPOR.

The overall length of the ORV will be 89.50-metres and it will be 18.80-metres wide. Its depth will be 12.50-metres. The ship will have a gross tonnage of 5,900 Tons and its speed will be 14 knots at 90% maximum continuous rating (MCR). The research vessel will be able to operate at a maximum depth of 6,000-metres.

The vessel, once it is delivered, will be capable of Underway Swath Multibeam as well as Geophysical Seismic surveys in coastal seas and deep waters. She will also be able to carry out Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiling and water sampling operations such as biological sampling using vertical and horizontal methods through various nets.

The ORV will also effectively carry out surface and deep-sea mooring and data buoy operations, seabed sampling using corers and grabs as well as rock dredging with chain bag dredges. She will also undertake underway atmospheric observations, surface meteorological and current measurements and collect upper air data. She will also be able to deploy and retrieve heavy test/protocol-type equipment and submersibles such as AUVs and ROVs. Scientists will be able to carry out analytical work and data processing on board. The ship will also provide training and education to scientists and technicians.

GRSE is fast turning into a destination for those in search of specialized vessels. Recently, the Government of Bangladesh signed an agreement with the shipyard for an advanced tug for the Bangladesh Navy. GRSE is also building a dredger for the Government of Bangladesh and at least four multi-purpose cargo vessels for a German company, apart from 18 warships for the Indian Navy.