Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has launched ‘Shreyas’, the third offshore patrol vessel built for the Indian Navy in five months, in a move that strengthens India’s capacity for maritime surveillance, anti-piracy operations and disaster response. The vessel was launched at GRSE’s dock in Kolkata on Saturday in the presence of Vice Admiral Ajay Kocchar, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
Around 68% of Shreyas has been completed, according to the report. The vessel will now undergo the installation of equipment, testing and other pre-commissioning work before it is delivered to the Navy. Its commissioning is expected in the coming months, subject to the completion of the remaining construction and trials.
Vice Admiral Kocchar congratulated GRSE employees for launching one vessel approximately every 45 days. He attributed the pace to the workforce’s sustained effort and its ability to operate around the clock, saying the achievement demonstrated the growing speed, scale and capability of India’s warship-building system.
The Navy’s Vice Chief said the need for prolonged surveillance and an uninterrupted presence at sea had increased amid the changing international security environment. The next-generation offshore patrol vessels are intended to support maritime surveillance, anti-piracy missions, rescue and relief operations during disasters, and other security and military activities.
The vessels will operate in areas connected to India’s maritime interests, which include a long coastline, a large exclusive economic zone and an economy significantly dependent on sea-based trade and energy routes. The report also places the launch against continuing instability around important maritime routes, including the Red Sea.
The event highlighted the scale of India’s current naval shipbuilding pipeline. Vice Admiral Kocchar said more than 42 vessels were under construction at shipyards across the country. He also stated that work on around 78 ships and submarines, along with 127 fast interceptor craft, was progressing at different stages under 10 major projects.
He said domestic shipbuilding would need to ensure that every vessel had its specified operational capability from the day of commissioning. This would require the effective integration and testing of weapons, sensors, communication systems and other equipment. He also stressed the importance of applying lessons from earlier vessels and similar platforms built at other Indian shipyards.
GRSE has delivered more than 100 vessels to date, according to the report. Alongside naval shipbuilding, the Kolkata-based company has supplied patrol vessels to Mauritius and Seychelles, a cargo vessel to Guyana and patrol craft to Bangladesh. The company’s current challenge is to complete Shreyas within the scheduled timeframe and hand it over to the Navy after the remaining installation, testing and commissioning stages are completed.
