Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, abbreviated as GRSE, is one of India's leading defenceshipyards, located in Kolkata.[4] It builds and repairs commercial and naval vessels.[5] GRSE also exports the ships that the company builds.
Founded in 1884 as a small privately-owned company on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, it was renamed as Garden Reach Workshop in 1916. GRSE was nationalised by the Government of India in 1960.[6] The company was awarded the Miniratna public sector undertaking status, with accompanying financial and operational autonomy in September 2006.[7] GRSE is the first Indian shipyard to build 100 warships.[8]
Facilities
GRSE has ship building facilities in Kolkata and a diesel engine plant in Ranchi.[8]
It has a large computer-aided design (CAD) centre for ship modelling and design. There are four workshops for plate preparation and steel fabrication.
GRSE has a dry dock for ships up to 26,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT). It has a building berth and two slipways for hull construction. It has a covered all-weather non-tidal wet basin for fitting-out medium and small ships and another fitting-out complex for ships with three berths alongside. In addition, it has two river jetties for berthing smaller vessels up to 60 metres (200 ft) in length. GRSE has engine assemble, test, repair and overhaul facilities in Ranchi, which acquires 62 acres of land.[9]
GRSE and Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) have inked a long-term concession agreement for GRSE to operate 3 dry docks. Here, GRSE undertakes multiple dry dock repairs of ships up to 160 m length, 20 m beam, and 7 m draught. These docks are situated inside a wet basin, which allows for docking and undocking operations independent of river tidal requirements. The wet basin also has multiple berthing facilities for afloat maintenance and refit operations.[10]
On 1 July 2006, GRSE acquired the loss-making Rajabagan Dockyard (RBD) of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC). RBD's facilities with its 600 metres (2,000 ft) waterfront helped alleviate some of GRSE's space constraints and increase its production capacity.[11]
As of 2011, the shipyard was undergoing a ₹530 crore (US$64 million) upgrade programme, expected to be completed by March 2012.[12] The second phase of the upgrade programme was scheduled to commence from June 2013.[13]
On 29 October 2024, Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) under DRDO placed an order for a new Acoustic Research Ship (ARS) with the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata. The order worth ₹490.98 crore (US$59 million) was signed in Kochi. The ARS will have an overall length of 90 m (300 ft) and a beam of 14 m (46 ft). It will be able to achieve speeds ranging up to 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph). The ship will have a minimum endurance of 30 days or 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi). It will have a complement of 70 personnel. The vessel will have diesel-electric propulsion and 3 deck cranes will be fitted on board to handle research equipment. The ARS will be able to deploy, tow, and retrieve a variety of equipment, including acoustic modules; conduct high-resolution surveys of sound velocity profiles in time and/or space; and gather data on ocean tides and currents for use in survey optimisation, underwater mooring design, and offshore deployments. Additionally, it will be able to launch, moor, and maintain independent sonobuoys as well as gather data from them. The ship will be able to conduct acoustic system experiments at various speed regimes while remaining silent due to its broad speed range. The ARS will also be equipped with a dynamic positioning mechanism that will enable it to hold its place until Sea State 4.[14]
Naval vessels
Launching ceremony of the fourth ship in the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk IV project, 23 Mar 2011.
GRSE delivered the corvette MCGS Barracuda to Mauritius on 20 December 2014. The contract was worth $58.5 million.[21] With this, India joined the elite club of warship exporters. The Mauritius offshore patrol vessel has an integrated bridge system and cutting edge controls and main engines and can support 83 member crew. It measures 74.10 metres (243.1 ft) in length and 11.40 metres (37.4 ft) in breadth and will be capable of moving at a maximum speed of 22 knots (41 km/h) with an approximate displacement of 1,350 tonnes.
GRSE has been short-listed for a patrol boat project for Vietnam worth ₹600 crore (US$72 million) and is also bidding for an order of two frigates for Philippines.[21][22]
On 22 June 2024, GRSE secured a contract for design, construction and delivery of four multi-purpose vessels (MPV) to transport windmill blades. The deal was signed by Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler and Reederei, a German shipbuilding entity and GRSE for a value of $54 million. The vessels would displace 7,500 tonnes and will be 120 metres long and 17 metres wide with a maximum draght of 6.75 metres.[25][26] GRSE secured an order of additional 4 MPVs under the "Option Agreement". This brings the total order value of $108 million for 8 ships.[27][28] The contract for the construction and delivery of 5th ship was signed on 3 October 2024.[29][30]
On 1 July 2024, GRSE received another $21 million order for a 800-tonne Advanced Ocean-Going Tug from the Bangladesh Navy. The tugboat will be delivered within 24 months of signing the contract. The tugboat is expected to measure 61 meters in length, about 15.80 meters in width and have a draught of nearly 6.80 meters. The order was received a few weeks after receiving an order for a Trailing Suction Hopper (TSH) dredger. GRSE also has an order of 6 patrol boats for the Bangladesh's Department of Fisheries.[31][32]
^"Annual Report 2010-11"(PDF). Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited. Archived from the original(PDF) on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
^"About Us". Garden Reach Shipbuilders. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
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