Cmde PR Hari, IN (Retd.)
CMD, GRSE
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, has a distinguished track record, having constructed over 790 platforms, including 109 warships for the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and friendly nations- the highest number of warships built and delivered by any Indian shipyard to date. The company’s extensive portfolio includes a diverse range of vessels such as Frigates, Corvettes, Fleet Tankers, Landing Ship Tanks, Landing Craft Utilities, Survey Vessels, Offshore Patrol Vessels, and Fast Attack Crafts. “At GRSE, we have also made forays into the field of Green Energy Vessels, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. We are using Artificial Intelligence-based technologies and are constantly striving towards greater self-reliance or Aatmanirbharta,” said Cmde PR Hari, IN (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE. In an interview with Aeromag, he talks about GRSE’s contributions to the Make in India program, new projects, collaborations, and the company’s broader vision.
Launching of 3rd P17A Advanced Frigate Vindhyagiri
As India’s first shipyard to independently construct a warship for the Indian Navy, how does GRSE see its role in advancing India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative?
GRSE has always been a strong proponent of our country’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative. In certain classes of warships, we have achieved over 90% indigenisation. These include ASWCs & Survey Vessels (L). The lead ship of this class, the INS Sandhayak was delivered to the Navy by us on December 4, 2023. The other three vessels are in various stages of completion.
You would also be aware that GRSE was the proud winner of the coveted Raksha Mantri’s Award, 2022, for designing the ‘Most Silent Ship’ for anti-submarine operations. This was for the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts, eight of which we are building at the moment. At GRSE, we have also made forays into the field of Green Energy Vessels, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. These vessels have already been developed and built.
We are using Artificial Intelligence-based technologies and are constantly striving towards greater self-reliance or Aatmanirbharta. In 2023, we launched a major initiative named GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme or GAINS. This is an open challenge scheme, primarily for Start-Ups and MSMEs, to develop innovative technological solutions in the field of shipbuilding. After the completion of GAINS-2023, two projects have been selected and funded by GRSE. The projects related to AI & Robotics in shipbuilding developed indigenously. After the overwhelming response that we received in 2023, we launched the second edition of GAINS recently.
“Signing of MoU with Border Roads Organisation for the fabrication, supply, erection and launching of Double-Lane Class 70 modular steel bridges in border areas”
GRSE Manufactured, Supplied & Erected Conventional Bailey Bridge Span 160 Ft for NHIDCL at Irang River in Taobam Village, Manipur within 08 Days
Indian defence exports have experienced significant growth over the past decade, with DPSUs playing a major role. How does GRSE assess its position in the export market amidst this expansion? What specific contributions has GRSE made to this achievement?
GRSE has always been a strong proponent of the Government of India’s ‘Make in India, Make for World’ initiative. So far as the use of Indian-built warships by friendly foreign nations goes, GRSE is the pioneer. The INS Ajay, India’s first indigenous warship delivered by us to the Navy in 1961 was gifted to the Bangladesh Navy in 1974 where it served as the BNS Surma. Over the years, GRSE has maintained a steady pace of upgradation, adopting latest technologies in shipbuilding and is now capable of building state-of-the-art, advanced warships of nearly all classes.
This has caught the attention of several friendly countries who are now interested in our platforms. In 2014, we became the first shipyard in the country to export a Warship with the Offshore Patrol Vessel CGS Barracuda to Mauritius. In 2021, GRSE-built Fast Patrol Vessel PS Zoroaster was exported to the Seychelles.
In keeping with our Prime Minister’s ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ or SAGAR initiative, GRSE also delivered an Ocean-going Cargo & Passenger Ferry to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in 2023.
Apart from shipbuilding & ship repair, the shipyard has supplied over 5500 Portable Steel Bridges to the Indian Army, Border Roads Organisation, State PWDs & Central Government. These bridges, primarily used for disaster management, have also been exported to friendly countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar & Sri Lanka. GRSE has achieved notable milestones in Bridge development, including the introduction of the Double Lane Portable Steel Bridge & Portable Assault Bridge, both firsts in India.
Launching of 2nd Edition of GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme (GAINS) in the presence of Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth
Could you elaborate on GRSE’s current collaborations with the private sector and its achievements and future plans under the Make in India initiative?
I have already highlighted our initiative to leverage the technological know-how of Start-Ups and use it in the field of shipbuilding through GAINS. Every shipbuilding project of GRSE engages contractual manpower from the private sector. Indian OEMs & MSMEs partner with us in all our projects and provide viable alternatives to imports. We have signed MoUs with India-based private entities for the development of technology, including Hydrogen-based green solutions and electro-optic equipment to tackle strikes by hostile drones.
We shall continue with our efforts to get more players from the Indian private sector to reduce dependency on imports.
This is part of our efforts to create a thriving ecosystem for indigenous shipbuilding.
