Indian shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has laid the keel of the third next-generation offshore patrol vessel (NGOPV) for the Indian Navy.
As disclosed, the ceremony took place on April 11, 2025, and the company also started construction of the fourth NGOPV. This has been possible due to the fact that GRSE adopted the advanced modular shipbuilding technology that allows ships to be built in blocks that are then brought together.
GRSE is presently building 40 platforms, 17 are for the Indian Navy. The first in a series of eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASW SWCs), being built by the shipyard for the Indian Navy, is ready for delivery. The INS Himgiri, the first in a series of three advanced guided missile frigates and the second ASWSWC have successfully completed their contractor sea trials.
According to GRSE, the NGOPVs will be far more advanced than the OPVs built in the past. They will be much larger and have greater endurance and firepower. These platforms will be about 113 meters long and 14.6 meters wide, with a displacement of 3,000 tons.
Furthermore, the NGOPVs will achieve speeds of up to 23 knots. Their endurance will be 8,500 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots. The crew will comprise 24 officers and over 100 sailors.
The vessels will perform a variety of roles. With a draft requirement of only 4 meters, they would be able to operate in coastal waters, protect offshore assets, carry out maritime interdiction, as well as visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations. They will also be part of presence-cum-surveillance missions and mine warfare 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. Apart from these, they will take on poachers and traffickers and participate in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as search and rescue missions.