Kolkata, Aug 9 The third of 11 next generation offshore patrol vessels (NGOPV) for the Navy, being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will be launched in Kolkata on Tuesday, officials said on Sunday.
This will be the second NGOPV to be launched by GRSE.
The first one, Sanghmitra, was launched on May 20 this year.
The GSL had launched one of the seven NGOPVs being built by it on March 31, 2026, which was named Shachi.
The warship will be launched at GRSE by Manika Sadhu, the wife of Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Indian Navy’s Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition (CWP&A). Her husband will be the chief guest at the occasion.
“It is good that the NGOPV project is progressing on schedule. With three of the ships moving for outfitting, the Navy can expect deliveries to start sometime in 2028. This will help the Navy achieve its target of having a 200-ship fleet. These are far more advanced that the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) the Navy has at the moment. The NGOPVs will have more stealth features, greater endurance and advanced equipment and armaments on board, allowing the platforms to participate in a variety of operations,” a senior official in Delhi said.
All future warships of the Navy will be next generation ones, he added.
These include NG Corvettes, NG Frigates, NG Survey Vessels and also NG Destroyers.
The NGOPVs will be about 113 metre long and 14.6 metre wide, with a displacement of 3,000 tons. They will achieve speeds of up to 23 knots. Their endurance will be 8,500 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots.
These ships, once commissioned, will play a variety of roles.
With a draught requirement of only four metres, they would be able to operate in coastal waters, protecting offshore assets, carrying out maritime interdiction, as well as visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) operations.
They will also be part of presence-cum-surveillance and mine warfare missions while having the capability to support special operations.
These warships will also participate in ‘Out of Area’ contingency operations, non-combatant evacuation, convoy operations, anti-piracy missions and counter-infiltration operations.
The NGOPVs will also be extremely effective against poachers and traffickers, and participate in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as search and rescue missions.
They will also be able to operate as hospital and COMINT ships, apart from providing fleet maintenance support.
–IANS
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