Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) launched a large survey vessel on Sunday, the “Sandhayak,” for the Indian Navy.
Government-owned GRSE is the country’s leading warship building company.
The vessel is the first in a series of four ships being built under the Survey Vessel (Large) project. India’s Defense Ministry and GRSE signed the shipbuilding contract in October 2018. The navy will receive the ship, India’s first indigenously built survey vessel, in 2022.
The inauguration of the 3,300-ton craft was attended by officials from GRSE, the navy, the Indian Armed Forces, and industry partners.
Defense Minister Ajay Bhatt called the launch “a new milestone” for the country’s vision of New India by 2030. Speaking of how the ships would help ensure safe navigation for India and other countries, he said: “This would help in strengthening our bilateral ties and in opening up and promoting trade opportunities for our nation in the long term.”
Bhatt lauded GRSE’s effort and reinforced the commitment of the government for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India) in the defense sector.
“The vessel will have over 80 percent indigenous content by cost and this will also ensure that large scale defense production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, thereby generating employment and expertise within our country,” Bhatt added.
India’s Sandhayak Large Survey Vessel
The vessel will be equipped with new generation hydrographic equipment including autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, survey boats, and data acquisition systems to collect and analyze oceanographic and geophysical data in the Indian Ocean region.
It can conduct surveys of ports and harbor approaches and determine navigational channels and routes. The ship is run by two marine diesel engines combined and fitted with Bow and Stern Thrusters for maneuvering at low speed during surveys.
The first ship of the class, also called Sandhayak, got decommissioned in June 2021 after 40 years of service.
GRSE has delivered 788 platforms including 107 warships to the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard; and one each for the Mauritius government and Seychelles Coast Guard.