Indian Navy’s next-generation offshore patrol vessel (NGOPV) Shruti was launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata on August 11, marking another milestone in the Indian Navy’s indigenous shipbuilding program.
The vessel, designated Yard 3037, was launched by Manika Sadhu in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition. Senior representatives from the Indian Navy, India’s Ministry of Defence and GRSE attended the ceremony.
The NGOPV program is being executed concurrently by GRSE in Kolkata and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Goa. The indigenously designed and built vessels are intended to augment the Indian Navy’s existing offshore and new-generation offshore patrol vessel fleets.
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 ships are being designed to support a range of missions, including maritime surveillance, search and rescue, protection of offshore assets, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and anti-piracy operations.
Shruti is named after the Shruti, a term associated with the four Vedas in India’s ancient heritage. The vessel’s crest features the Ursa Major constellation and a red-and-white lighthouse.
The launch represents another step in India’s drive to expand domestic warship construction under the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.