Indian Shipyard Eyes Foreign Warship Orders
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) is trying to get a toehold in the international market, eyeing orders worth $425 million to supply warships to the navies of the Philippines and Vietnam.
A Kolkata-based shipyard will enter into the global warship market by bidding to the navies of the Philippines and Vietnam in the coming months, according to a report from Indian Express.
Garden Reach Ship Builders will be competing with European and Korean firms in the run-up to the `2,000 crore tenders, to supply two frigates to the Philippines navy. Garden Reach Ship Builders officials claim that negotiations are underway with the Vietnamese navy to supply four warships worth `600 crore.
According to Garden Reach Ship Builders chief Rear Admiral A K Verma (retd), on December 20, the state-run shipyard will hand over a $50 million dollar worth offshore patrol vessel to the Mauritian navy as country’s first export of the warship. The shipyard has earlier gifted a warship to Bangladesh navy and now the deal with Mauritius will be the first ever global export by any Indian shipyard.
The 74m long 1,350-ton offshore patrol vessel, Barracuda, with a top speed of 22.5 tons, designed for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations can be deployed for search and rescue efforts and can also transport a small detachment of troops, according to Verma. The warship is equipped with a 30 mm gun with stabilised optical remote control system and also holds a helipad.
The deal with Mauritius cost over $58 million dollars and keel of the ship was laid on April 2012, GRSE official further said.