In a significant development for India’s maritime defence and oceanographic capabilities, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd has commenced construction of a state-of-the-art Acoustic Research Ship (ARS) for the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) — a premier wing under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
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The keel-laying ceremony, held at GRSE’s shipyard in Kolkata on Wednesday, marked a key milestone in this strategic defence project. The event was graced by Dr. Sameer V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman of DRDO, who attended as the Chief Guest. Also present were Cmde PR Hari (IN Retd), Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, along with senior officials from DRDO, NPOL, and the shipyard.
The ARS is being built under a contract signed in October 2024 and is designed to support cutting-edge research in underwater acoustics. The 93-metre-long and 18-metre-wide vessel will be capable of hosting up to 120 personnel, achieving speeds between 4 and 12 knots, and sustaining operations for up to 30 days at sea or a range of 4,500 nautical miles at maximum speed.
The vessel will be equipped with sophisticated systems for deployment, towing, and retrieval of acoustic equipment; conducting high-resolution surveys of sound velocity profiles; and collecting data on ocean tides and currents. It will also carry out meteorological studies, shallow water acoustic research, and underwater mooring design. Enhanced with a dynamic positioning system and diesel-electric propulsion, the ship promises high precision and energy efficiency even in challenging marine conditions.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Sameer V Kamat said, “An acoustic research ship is going to be very critical for us to build our underwater domain awareness capability. This ship is a successor to our Sagardhwani, which was also built by GRSE and has served us very well for over 30 years.”
Cmde PR Hari, CMD of GRSE, called the project a “momentous occasion” and stated, “As a fully diversified shipyard, we have built everything from complex warships to specialized research and commercial vessels. This project reinforces our contribution to national defence and research.”
GRSE has an established history of delivering advanced research and survey vessels. It had previously built the first series of Sandhayak-class survey vessels in the 1980s and 1990s, including the now-legendary INS Sagardhwani in 1994. More recently, the shipyard delivered the INS Sandhayak and INS Nirdeshak — the first two vessels of the second Sandhayak-class series — to the Indian Navy in 2023 and 2024.
In a further boost to its ocean research portfolio, GRSE signed a contract in July 2024 with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences to construct an advanced Ocean Research Vessel.
The commencement of the ARS project underscores India’s commitment to technological self-reliance and its growing capabilities in defence R&D and marine science. As the nation continues to bolster its underwater domain awareness and oceanographic research, projects like this will serve as strategic assets for both national security and scientific exploration.
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