GRSE launches 2nd Survey Vessel (Large)
Survey Vessel (Large) - Yard No 3026 - being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, was launched by Smt Sarbani Dasgupta, wife of Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command on 26 May 2022. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta was the Chief Guest at the occasion. This is the second vessel in a series of four such ships being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy to be launched in less than six months. The first ship, INS Sandhayak, was launched in Kolkata on 5 December 2021. Among the others present at the ceremony were Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition, Vice Admiral Adhir Arora, Chief Hydrographer, Cmde P R Hari IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director (Officiating) GRSE, R K Dash, Director (Finance), GRSE, other senior officials of GRSE, L&T and Indian Armed Forces. GRSE has a vast experience in building survey ships for the Indian Navy. In the 1980s, a series of six hydrographic survey vessels were delivered by GRSE to the Indian Navy. The first of them was named INS Sandhayak. After serving for 40 years, the ship was decommissioned in 2021, a few months before the new INS Sandhayak was reborn in Kolkata in December 2021. The launch of INS Nirdeshak now signals the rebirth of ex-INS Nirdeshak, another survey ship of the Sandhayak Class built by GRSE in 1983 and later decommissioned in 2014 after 31 years of service. The latest series of Survey Vessels (Large) being built by GRSE are far more advanced as compared to the earlier series of survey ships in the Indian Navy's fleet. These modern, indigenously developed 110-metres long and 16-metres wide ships have a displacement of nearly 3,400 tonnes and can attain a top speed of 18 knots with an endurance of 6,500 nautical miles. Congratulating GRSE on the achievement, Vice Admiral Dasgupta acknowledged that a large number of ships of the Eastern Fleet were being built by GRSE. He stated, "The newer ship 'Nirdeshak' will be more capable, larger, modern, state-of-the-art with advanced propulsion and maneuvering and will be able to operate autonomous and remotely operated systems. The ship's ability to perform full spectrum of hydrographic and oceanographic operations of the Indian Navy will make us even more potent and foreign navies are looking to the Indian Navy for the hydrographic co-operation. The vessel has achieved 80% of indigenisation by cost which is a significant achievement for Indian shipbuilding." In order to ensure swift delivery of quality, GRSE has now enhanced its capacity through tie-ups with capable Private Shipyards under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for part construction of ships. Further, these ships are now being built using the 'Integrated Construction' concept through which maximum pre-outfitting is being carried out at the block stage itself. GRSE is the only shipyard in the country to have built and delivered 105 warships to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. Two warships built by this shipyard were also exported by the Government of India to Mauritius and the Seychelles. At the moment, GRSE is working on 23 ships. Seven of these are for foreign orders. This defence PSU has also been bagging orders through competitive bidding. Among the larger ships that GRSE is working on now are stealth frigates under the Indian Navy's Project 17A. The shipyard is also building Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft for the Indian Navy.
GRSE: Keel laying of 4th SVL and 2nd/3rd ASW/SWC
Keel for the fourth ship of Survey Vessel (Large) and second and third ships of ASW SWC for the Indian Navy was ceremoniously laid on 17 June 2022 by VAdm SN Ghormade, Vice Chief of Naval Staff at L&T, Kattupalli in the presence of RAdm GK Harish, DGND (SSG), RAdm Sandeep S Sandhu, ACWP&A, Cmde P R Hari (Retd), CMD, GRSE, Cmde Ashok Khetan (Retd), Head L&T shipbuilding, Directors, and other senior officials of the Indian Navy, GRSE and L&T. The contract for construction of four SVL and eight ASW SWC for the Indian Navy was awarded to GRSE as part of indigenous shipbuilding programme in October 2018 and April 2022 respectively. As part of the yard’s build strategy, GRSE has subcontracted part construction of three ships of SVL and four ships of ASW SWC to L&T, Kattupalli. Keel laying is a major milestone activity in the construction of ships, symbolising formal commencement of the erection process of the warships on the building berth. The Chief Guest highlighted that 39 out of 41 warships under order by Indian Navy today were being built indigenously. He also appreciated the collaborative approach between GRSE and L&T and opined that this model of Public Private Partnership between GRSE and L&T would be the harbinger of more such successful collaborations between Indian shipyards for warship construction in India. Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ships are capable for full scale coastal survey, deep-water hydrographic survey and determination of navigational channels/routes. In addition, these platforms collect oceanographic and geophysical data for defence applications. State of art equipment such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), Single/ Multi Beam Echo Sounders and Data Acquisition and Processing System (DAPS) are fitted onboard SVL vessels to increase the ocean research capability. VCNS during the event highlighted that the ASW SWC platforms would augment the Navy’s ASW capability and serve as a deterrent against submarine threats. Armed with torpedoes, rockets, state of the art Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS) and Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS), the ASW SWC ships will significantly enhance Indian Navy ASW capability.
Keel laying of 7th Project 17A ship
The keel for the seventh ship (Y- 12654) of the prestigious P17A of Indian Navy was ceremoniously laid on 28 June 2022 by Rear Admiral GK Harish, Director General Naval Design (Surface Ship Group) at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., Mumbai. The ceremony was performed in the presence of senior officials of the Indian Navy and MDL. Keel laying is a major milestone activity in the construction of ships, symbolising formal commencement of the erection process of warships on the building berth. Seven frigates under P17A class are being constructed of which four are being constructed at MDL and three in GRSE with MDL as lead yard. The P17A class frigates are being built using indigenously developed steel and fitted with weapons and sensors along with Integrated Platform Management System. The construction of these vessels is a major boost for AatmaNirbhar Bharat and India’s Make in India commitment with orders for equipment and systems on indigenous firms including MSMEs amounting to indigenous content to the order of 75%. Construction of P17A ships differ in the very concept of warship building by way of adoption of the modern technology ‘Integrated Construction (IC)’ where the blocks are pre-outfitted before joining to reduce the build period of warships.
