<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited has achieved a significant milestone in India's indigenous shipbuilding and green mobility initiatives with the successful launch of the sixth and final 50-passenger hybrid-electric catamaran, named MV Major Dhyanchand, built for the Inland Waterways Authority of India . The vessel was launched by Smt. Nitha K., Assistant General Manager at Hooghly CSL, in the presence of the CEO of Hooghly CSL, the Director of IWAI (Kolkata), surveyors from the Indian Register of Shipping, IWAI representatives, and senior officials and employees of the shipyard </span><span class="">. With this launch, HCSL has completed the launch of all six catamarans in the series, marking the culmination of the launch phase of the construction programme </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="1" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.new-ships.com/ns/news/6962" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://indianmasterminds.com/news/psu-news/hcsl-sixth-hybrid-electric-catamaran-mv-major-dhyanchand-iwai-2026-243847/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="10" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://indiashippingnews.com/maritime/hooghly-cochin-shipyard-completes-launch-of-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-iwai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="14" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The six-vessel series represents a concerted effort to introduce modern, environmentally responsible passenger vessels to India's inland waterways. The catamarans are designed to carry up to 50 passengers each and are intended to support passenger transportation on national waterways, promoting tourism and river transport while reducing dependence on conventional fuels </span><span class="">. The programme is aligned with India's broader efforts to strengthen inland waterways as an efficient and sustainable mode of passenger mobility, and reflects the growing role of domestic shipbuilding expertise in supporting the modernisation of the country's inland water transport infrastructure </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="4" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.new-ships.com/ns/news/6962" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hooghly-cochin-shipyard-limited-hcsl?trk=org_guest_main-feed-card-text#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="5" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://indiashippingnews.com/maritime/hooghly-cochin-shipyard-completes-launch-of-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-iwai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="14" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The technical architecture of the vessels centres on hybrid-electric propulsion. According to the Indian Register of Shipping, which provides classification services for the six vessels, they are propelled by electric motors powered by lithium-titanate oxide (LTO) batteries and diesel generators, operating in a hybrid mode to provide electrical power to propulsion motors and other ship systems </span><span class="">. The batteries are also capable of being charged from the shore grid when the vessels are berthed at jetties </span><span class="">. The LTO battery chemistry is favoured for its longer life cycle, faster charging capability and higher safety margin compared with other lithium-ion variants, characteristics that are particularly relevant for vessels operating on frequent short-haul routes.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="7" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.irclass.org/media-and-publications/news/indian-register-of-shipping-to-provide-classification-services-to-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-inland-waterways-authority-of-india?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="11" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The vessels operate in dual modes: a fully electric, zero-emission mode for shorter segments, and a hybrid mode for extended endurance </span><span class="">. The Indian Register of Shipping has assigned the additional class notation "BATTERY PROP" to the vessels, which is assigned where battery systems are used for ship propulsion and comply with the classification society's rule requirements </span><span class="">. IRS has published guidelines for battery-powered vessels and class notes for approval of lithium-ion battery systems, based on international standards, to ensure that battery installations meet stringent marine safety requirements </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="9" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hooghly-cochin-shipyard-limited-hcsl?trk=org_guest_main-feed-card-text#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="5" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://www.irclass.org/media-and-publications/news/indian-register-of-shipping-to-provide-classification-services-to-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-inland-waterways-authority-of-india?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="11" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The programme forms part of a wider IWAI initiative to deploy hybrid-electric vessels across India's inland waterways. Two earlier hybrid-electric catamarans, MV Guh and MV Nishadraj, were dedicated to the nation in February 2024 and deployed on the Saryu in Ayodhya and the Ganga in Varanasi respectively, operated by the Uttar Pradesh government </span><span class="">. Those vessels were also built by Cochin Shipyard Limited through IWAI and are powered by fast-charging batteries, designed to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 400 metric tonnes annually </span><span class="">. The six-vessel series built at HCSL extends this programme, with the Hooghly shipyard—a wholly owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard Limited—taking on the construction of the additional vessels.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="12" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2008462#1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="7" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The completion of the launch phase at HCSL underscores the shipyard's engineering expertise and its capacity to deliver modern passenger vessels using indigenous capabilities. The launch ceremony brought together the shipyard's workforce, classification society surveyors, and IWAI representatives, reflecting the collaborative nature of the programme </span><span class="">. The achievement also reinforces the role of domestic shipbuilding in India's efforts to modernise inland water transport and promote cleaner mobility solutions, in line with the Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiatives that the Indian Register of Shipping has explicitly cited in its support for green propulsion solutions </span><span class="">.</span><span class="_5f9bba8" data-citation-group="14" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px;"><a href="https://www.irclass.org/media-and-publications/news/indian-register-of-shipping-to-provide-classification-services-to-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-inland-waterways-authority-of-india?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="11" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://indiashippingnews.com/maritime/hooghly-cochin-shipyard-completes-launch-of-six-hybrid-electric-catamarans-for-iwai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="14" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a></span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Looking ahead, the six catamarans will now move toward delivery and operational deployment on India's inland waterways. The practical impact of the programme will depend on their integration into passenger services and the extent to which the hybrid-electric architecture delivers the intended reductions in fuel consumption and emissions in real-world operating conditions. For Indian inland water transport, the completion of this series represents a tangible step beyond policy ambition—a fleet of certified, domestically built, hybrid-electric passenger vessels ready to enter service on the country's waterways.</span></p>
Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Completes Launch of All Six Hybrid-Electric Catamarans for IWAI
Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited (HCSL) has launched MV Major Dhyanchand, the sixth and final vessel in a series of six 50-passenger hybrid-electric catamarans being built for the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The launch, held in Kolkata, completes the launch phase of the entire programme and marks a significant step in India's push for sustainable inland water transport. The vessels are powered by lithium-titanate oxide (LTO) batteries and diesel generators in a hybrid configuration, and are classified by the Indian Register of Shipping. The programme forms part of IWAI's broader efforts to modernise inland waterways and promote green passenger mobility.
