GRSE to build 2 coastal research vessels for Geological Survey of India

New Delhi: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), a premier Defence PSU under the Ministry of Defence, has signed a significant contract with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for the construction of two state-of-the-art Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs).

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The has been signed on Wednesday in Kolkata by GRSE's Director (Shipbuilding) Cdr Shantanu Bose, and GSI's Deputy Director General & Head of the Marine & Coastal Survey Division Dr NM Shareef. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of GSI's Director General Asit Saha and senior officials from both organisations.

Each CRV will be 64 meters in length and 12 meters wide, with a deadweight tonnage of approximately 450 tons. These vessels will be equipped to accommodate 35 personnel and will have an endurance of 15 days at sea with a maximum speed of 10 knots.

The new vessels are designed for diverse, roles including offshore geological mapping, mineral exploration (including dredging), ocean environment monitoring, and scientific research. They will feature modern, well-equipped laboratories for onboard data processing and sample analysis. With Dynamic Positioning – 1 capability, the ships will be able to maintain position in Sea State 3 conditions and will operate within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), at depths ranging from 5 to 1,000 meters. The CRVs will be powered by diesel-electric propulsion systems.

This latest contract adds to GRSE’s growing portfolio in the specialised research vessel segment. The shipyard is currently constructing an Ocean Research Vessel for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and an Acoustic Research Ship for the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) under DRDO.

Though GRSE is primarily known for building warships, it has a strong track record in constructing research and survey vessels. Notable past deliveries include the marine acoustic research ship INS Sagardhwani in 1994 and multiple survey vessels for the Indian Navy. More recently, GRSE delivered two advanced Survey Vessels (Large) of the Sandhayak class to the Navy, with two more currently under construction.

Apart from defence contracts, GRSE is also building eight multi-purpose cargo vessels for a German client and is the lowest bidder for the Indian Navy’s Next Generation Corvettes (NGC) programme, which involves the construction of five vessels.

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