India’s Coastal Research Capacity Gets a Boost With Two New GRSE Vessels

State-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) on Tuesday laid the keels for two Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs) being built for the Geological Survey of India (GSI), marking a key milestone in the construction of the specialised vessels.

The keel-laying ceremony was held at GRSE's Rishi Bankim Dockyard in Kolkata and was attended by GSI Director General Varsha Ashok Aglawe as the chief guest.

Keel laying marks the beginning of a ship's structural construction. The two vessels are being designed to support offshore geological mapping, mineral exploration, ocean environment monitoring and scientific research.

Each CRV will be 64 metres long and 13 metres wide, with a deadweight tonnage of around 461 tonnes. The vessels will have an endurance of 15 days, a top speed of 10 knots and accommodation facilities for 35 personnel.

The ships will feature advanced scientific laboratories for data processing and sample analysis. They will also be equipped with Dynamic Positioning-1 (DP-1) capability to maintain precise positioning in Sea State 3 conditions.

Powered by diesel-electric propulsion, the vessels will operate within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at depths ranging from 5 to 1,000 metres.

The order was placed with GRSE in recognition of the shipyard's experience in building advanced specialised vessels. The shipyard is currently constructing an Ocean Research Vessel for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, as well as an Acoustic Research Ship for the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

GRSE has previously delivered two series of Sandhayak-class survey vessels to the Indian Navy and the marine acoustic research ship INS Sagardhwani to NPOL in 1994.

The shipyard recently received a Notification of Award from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the construction of four Platform Supply Vessels.

GSI Director General Aglawe said the two CRVs would strengthen India's capabilities in exploring offshore mineral resources and contribute to the country's objective of greater self-reliance in the mineral sector.

GRSE officials said the keel laying marked the transition from the design and planning stage to physical construction and expressed confidence that the vessels would be delivered to GSI on schedule and in line with quality standards.