<p data-path-to-node="2">Garden Reach Shipbuilders &amp; Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), a premier Navratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, has formally signed a major commercial contract with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the construction of four hybrid Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). Finalized on October 15, 2026, by Commander Shantanu Bose, IN (Retd.), Director (Shipbuilding) at GRSE, and senior ONGC officials, the agreement transitions the ₹1,032.07 crore procurement program—originally initiated via a Notification of Award on July 30, 2026—into the active engineering and construction phase.</p><p data-path-to-node="3">Under the terms of the contract, the Kolkata-headquartered shipbuilder will execute the complete design, construction, integration, and delivery of all four vessels within a stipulated 48-month timeline. For GRSE, which has historically anchored its order book around naval surface combatants and coast guard patrol platforms, this program represents a pivotal milestone in diversifying its industrial portfolio toward high-value commercial shipbuilding and specialized offshore energy assets.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">Engineered to meet rigorous maritime logistics demands, each of the four Platform Supply Vessels will measure approximately 80 metres in overall length with a 20-metre beam. The ships are designed with a deadweight capacity of 3,000 tonnes and feature an expansive clear deck area of roughly 650 square metres. Built in strict compliance with the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), the vessels will offer a sustained operational endurance of 45+3 days at sea.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">Once commissioned into the ONGC fleet, these specialized vessels will serve as the primary logistical backbone for India’s offshore exploration and production (E&amp;P) installations. Their core operational mandate encompasses transporting critical drilling mud, bulk cement, potable water, marine fuel, and heavy deck equipment to offshore rigs, alongside executing emergency response, firefighting, and safety standby duties across India's western and eastern continental shelves.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">A defining technological highlight of the new PSV class is the integration of an advanced hybrid propulsion architecture. Each vessel will combine electrically driven azimuth thrusters with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS). This hybrid configuration is specifically engineered to optimize power management across demanding operating profiles, providing instantaneous spinning reserve, peak-shaving capabilities during heavy sea states, and zero-emission battery support during port calls and standby routines.</p><p data-path-to-node="7">Furthermore, the battery-supported propulsion system directly enhances the vessels' Dynamic Positioning (DP) accuracy. Maintaining precise station-keeping directly alongside offshore production platforms in turbulent waters is one of the most fuel-intensive and safety-critical aspects of offshore supply logistics. By integrating responsive electrical thrusters with energy storage, ONGC aims to significantly improve operational reliability while lowering fuel consumption and localized greenhouse gas emissions across its offshore supply chain.</p><p data-path-to-node="8">For the broader domestic maritime ecosystem, the GRSE–ONGC pact underscores the accelerating synergy between India’s public sector energy majors and domestic shipyards under the 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' mandates. Successfully executing complex, battery-hybrid offshore support vessels domestically not only insulates ONGC from the volatile global charter rates of foreign-flagged OSVs but also establishes a critical technical benchmark for Indian yards competing in the global green-offshore shipbuilding market.</p>