Kerala-origin public-sector shipbuilder Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) is all set to launch three technologically advanced vessels in an event on Saturday.
The three vessels are an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), the sixth of the eight-vessel series for the Indian Navy; India's largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger for the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI); and a Hybrid Electric Methanol-Ready Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV), designed to harness wind energy offshore.
The CSL has said that its triple launch across the naval defence, commercial, and green shipping segments, was a testament to India's excellence, sustainable growth, and priorities under the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The latest ASW SWC is the sixth vessel in an eight-vessel agreement with the Indian Navy, inked in 2019, and will be commissioned as the INS Magdala, as per an Indian Express report.
According to the CSL, the 78-metre-long vessel weighs 896 tonnes, and can achieve speeds of up to 25 knots. It is also equipped with advanced underwater sensors, light-weight torpedoes, ASW rockets, and mine-laying capabilities.
Capable of conducting low-intensity maritime missions, as well as search and rescue operations, it will serve as a replacement for the Indian Navy's dated Abhay-class corvettes.
The 12,000 cubic metre dredger, for the DCI, which is to be commissioned as the DCI Godavari, will be developed jointly with Dutch company Royal IHC.
It is capable of dredging up to 36m deep, significantly enhancing India’s port deepening and land reclamation capacity, as per a Maritime Gateway report.
The Hybrid Electric CSOV is India's first foray into the offshore renewable energy market, which was developed in association with Norwegian firm Kongsberg Maritime.
Touted as a "floating hotel" for offshore technicians working at sea, the CSOV is equipped with hybrid-electric propulsion, methanol-compatible engines, large lithium-ion battery systems, and other systems for crew safety during offshore wind turbine installations.