Kolkata, Jul 16 (IANS): Kolkata-based defence shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd signed a contract with the National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences on Tuesday for the construction and delivery of an Ocean Research Vessel (ORV).
The agreement was signed in Goa by Cdr Shantanu Bose, IN (Retd), Director (Shipbuilding), GRSE, and M M Subramanium, Scientist I/C, Vessel Operation and Management, NCPOR, in the presence of Thamban Meloth, Director, NCPOR.
Presently, NCPOR owns only one ORV that is over 40 years old. For many of its expeditions, the organisation has to charter vessels from abroad. The ORV that GRSE will build at a cost of nearly Rs 839.56 crore will be of Ice-1C Class. Ships of this class are built to negotiate non-consolidated ice channels of 0.2 metres or two feet in thickness in the middle. This is important as NCPOR maintains several research stations in Antarctica.
The ORV will have an endurance of 45 days with 60 people on board. In intact condition, the vessel will also be able to maintain a position up to Sea State 5.
The designing and building of this ORV by GRSE are in keeping with the Central government Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India policies. GRSE has already achieved indigenisation of beyond 90 per cent in several ships that it has built and delivered.
GRSE has the necessary expertise in the field of survey vessels and has been building them for the Indian Navy for nearly four decades now.
The Marine Acoustic Research Vessel INS Sagardhwani which was built by GRSE in 1994 is being refitted at the shipyard.
On December 4, 2023, GRSE delivered the INS Sandhayak – the largest survey vessel to be built in India – to the Navy. Three more vessels of this class are at various stages of completion at the shipyard at the moment. This experience will stand GRSE good when designing and building the ORV for NCPOR.
The overall length of the ORV will be 89.50 metres and it will be 18.80 metres wide. Its depth will be 12.50 metres. The ship will have a gross tonnage of 5,900 Tons and its speed will be 14 knots at 90 per cent Maximum Continuous Rating (MCR). The research vessel will be able to operate at a maximum depth of 6,000 metres.
"The vessel, once it is delivered, will be capable of Underway Swath Multibeam as well as Geophysical Seismic surveys in coastal seas and deep waters. She will also be able to carry out Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) profiling and water sampling operations such as biological sampling using vertical and horizontal methods through various nets," a GRSE official said.
He said that the ORV will also effectively carry out surface and deep-sea mooring and data buoy operations, seabed sampling using corers and grabs as well as rock dredging with chain bag dredges.
“She will also undertake underway atmospheric observations, surface meteorological and current measurements and collect upper air data. She will also be able to deploy and retrieve heavy test/protocol-type equipment and submersibles such as AUVs and ROVs. Scientists will be able to carry out analytical work and data processing on board. The ship will also provide training and education to scientists and technicians,” the official said.
GRSE is fast turning into a destination for those in search of specialised vessels. Recently, the Government of Bangladesh signed an agreement with the shipyard for an advanced tug for the Bangladesh Navy.
GRSE is also building a dredger for the Government of Bangladesh and at least four specialised multi-purpose cargo vessels for a German company, apart from 18 warships for the Indian Navy.