Indian shipyards building 37 warships and submarines for the Indian Navy
The first of the four Survey Vessels (Large), ‘Sandhayak’ was launched on Hooghly River in Kolkata on 5 Dec 2021 by Pushpa Bhatt, wife of the Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt.
The vessels have been designed and developed by Defence Public Sector Undertaking, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited, which is among the leading warship building companies in India.
Ministry of Defence awarded the Rs.2,435 crore contract to GRSE for the four vessels on 30 Oct 2018.
The survey ships are capable of full scale coastal & deep-water hydrographic survey of Ports & Harbour approaches and determination of navigational channels & routes. These ships are also capable of undertaking survey of maritime limits and collection of Oceanographic & Geographical data for Defence applications, thus boosting the maritime capabilities of the country.
These ships are propelled by two Marine Diesel Engines combined with Fixed Pitch Propellers and fitted with Bow & Stern Thrusters for manoeuvring at low speeds during surveys. In their secondary role, these ships would be capable of performing roles such as Search & Rescue and Disaster Relief, besides serving as Hospital ship with limited facilities during emergencies. The ships will have a retractable Hangar for stowage of a Utility helicopter
The ships are fully designed by the Design team of GRSE to meet the requirements of the Indian Navy and are being built utilising the concepts of ‘Integrated Construction’ and in compliance with applicable provisions and regulations of the Classification Society.
Each ship has over 80 per cent indigenous content by cost and this will also ensure that large scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, thereby generating employment and expertise within the country.
Appreciating GRSE’s efforts, Bhatt said the launch of the ship reinforces the Government’s commitment of indigenous shipbuilding as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and provides thrust to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
He appreciated the fact that 37 warships and submarines for Indian Navy are currently under various stages of construction in different shipyards within the country.
Bhatt lauded the Indian Navy and GRSE for working together on number of projects of national importance such as Project 17A frigates and Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts.
Bhatt added that the vessel will be a major contributor towards meeting the initiatives and vision for sustainable development in the maritime domain.
He hoped that ‘Sandhayak’ will ensure safe navigation of not just Indian ships, but of friendly foreign nations in the Indian Ocean Region.
“This would help in strengthening our bilateral ties and in opening up & promoting trade opportunities for our nation in the long term,” he added.
In his address, GRSE Chairman & Managing Director Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena (Retd) said the present survey ships are equipped with new generation hydrographic equipment and is testimony to the maturity of the country’s indigenous construction capability towards achieving self-reliance.
He said, this achievement, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a testimony to the commitment and capability of the GRSE. fiinews.com
