Kolkata: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) and Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) have reaffirmed their commitment to innovation, new technology adoption and sustainability with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 2, 2024 on the development of Green Energy and Autonomous Vessels, aimed at revolutionising the maritime industry. The MoU was signed between DIG Subrato Ghosh, ICG (Retd), Director (Personnel), GRSE and P.K. Mishra, Joint Managing Director, IRS, in the presence of Cmde PR Hari, IN(Retd), CMD, GRSE, Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman IRS and other senior officials from GRSE & IRS.
The strategic partnership between GRSE, a leading shipbuilding company, and IRS, a premier classification society, underscores a shared commitment towards harnessing advanced technologies and expertise to address the evolving needs of the maritime sector. Through this MoU, both entities aim to pool their strengths and resources to drive innovation and excellence in vessel design and development.
The primary objective of the collaboration is to jointly pursue and execute contracts for the development of autonomous and green energy vessels, leveraging the complementary capabilities of GRSE and IRS. Under the scope of cooperation outlined in the MoU, IRS will provide specialised expertise and guidance towards the development of autonomous and green energy vessels, ensuring compliance with evolving safety standards and regulatory requirements.
GRSE, on the other hand, will benefit from IRS’s insights and recommendations in the vessel design and development process, enabling the integration of the latest industry standards and best practices. By harnessing IRS’s classification expertise and GRSE’s shipbuilding prowess, the collaborative effort seeks to deliver cutting-edge solutions that prioritise environmental sustainability, safety, and efficiency.
Under the Green Energy segment, GRSE has already launched a Next Generation (NG) Electric Ferry for the Government of West Bengal, that aims to replace diesel-engine run ferries with green platforms that use only batteries and solar power. As part of Autonomous systems development, GRSE in collaboration with start-ups has developed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), ‘Swadheen’ to facilitate autonomous surveys, and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Neerakshi’ capable of carrying a variety of payloads required for roles like mine detection, ASW training, underwater inspection, search & rescue missions and scientific exploration. The signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone in the journey towards fostering innovation and sustainability in the maritime industry.
IRS and GRSE are poised to drive positive change and propel India towards a greener and more technologically advanced future.
