Kolkata: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), a Miniratna Category-1 warship building PSU under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, delivered its 101st ship to the Indian Coast Guard. GRSE ICGS Annie Besant, the second in a series of five Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) ordered by the Indian Coast Guard, was handed over on Tuesday. The protocol of delivery and acceptance was signed between GRSE's Chairman & Managing Director, Rear Admiral (Retd) VK Saxena, and Commanding Officer of the vessel, Commandant (JG) Sunny Deo, in the presence of DIG Sudhir Sahani, TM, Principal Director (Material), Cmde PR Hari, Director (Personnel) and Cmde Sanjeev Nayyar, IN (Retd), Director (Shipbuilding) and other senior officials of GRSE and the Indian Coast Guard.
GRSE ICGS Annie Besant is a medium-range surface vessel with a length of 50M, the width of 7.5 m and displacement of around 308 T and is capable of operations in the maritime zones of India. These powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are designed to perform multipurpose operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations. The vessel is designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nautical miles. It is equipped with three main engines of MTU – made and built at GRSE with advanced control systems, 'Water Jet' units and an 'Integrated Bridge System,' integrating all communication and navigation systems.
The ship is also fitted with 40/60 gun as the main armament and will also have improved habitability features with fully air-conditioned modular accommodation for 35 personnel. The entire design of these FPVs has been developed in-house by GRSE as per requirements specified by the Indian Coast Guard. The FPV designs, which are exclusive to GRSE, are an improvisation on the Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) built by the Shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard, a few years ago. Over the years, GRSE has established capabilities for in-house design and shipbuilding and has made significant contributions to the indigenous warship construction programme in India. The Design R&D Unit of GRSE has been recognised by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology.
GRSE currently has a strong order book position of around Rs 27, 400 crores, under which there are a total of 22 warships at various stages of construction. The shipyard has been recently honoured with the ICC PSE Excellence Award (2017-18) for "Operational Performance Excellence" and 16th National Award for "Excellence in Cost Management" in the category of Medium Public Sector Manufacturing Companies. Presently, the company has six projects that are underway – five projects of the Indian Navy and one of the Indian Coast Guard. GRSE is aggressively pursuing the new request for proposals (RFP) that have been issued by the MoD. GRSE has responded to the RFPs for two Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs) and eight Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs) for Indian Coast Guard.
GRSE is also preparing a response to RFPs for the construction of 12 Air-Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) for Indian Coast Guard and Indian Army and a major project for the construction of six New Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) for Indian Navy. "GRSE continues to raise its bar higher in the sphere of maritime engineering excellence. Continuous research and innovation, excellent product quality, lean thinking and a strong corporate structure powered by an outstanding human capital, promises a great future for GRSE," the PSU said in an official release.