Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), a defence public sector undertaking, will build a ship to explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals under a pact with a Goa-based government institution, officials announced. The vessel, measuring 89.5 meters in length, will be the largest research vessel constructed in an Indian shipyard for deep sea exploration, according to a release from the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa. The ship will be used for deep sea scientific surveys and sampling as part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Deep Ocean Mission. With all-weather capability and the capacity to carry 34 scientists, it is expected to serve India for the next 30 years. The Kolkata-headquartered GRSE will build the vessel in 36 months at a contract value of Rs 8.39 billion. The construction contract was signed by GRSE and NCPOR officials in Goa. This state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research vessel will be built under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative. The vessel will have a maximum speed of 14 knots and will feature advanced laboratories, scientific equipment, and facilities. It will support all areas of oceanography and deep sea mineral exploration with major facilities like a multibeam bathymetry system, multichannel seismics, various ocean profilers, seabed samplers, on board analytical systems, and heavy-duty deck machinery. Equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system, the vessel will offer precise manoeuvring and exact location maintenance for high-precision scientific operations. Designed to Silent-A specifications, it will minimise underwater radiated noise. The ship will be built under the dual classification of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), adhering to the latest MARPOL standards of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). It will measure 89.50 meters in length, 18.80 meters in width, and have a gross weight of 5,900 tonnes. In December 2023, GRSE delivered INS Sandhayak, the largest survey vessel built in India, to the Indian Navy. Three more vessels of this class are currently at various stages of completion at the shipyard, with this experience expected to benefit the construction of the ocean research vessel for NCPOR. (Source: ET)