Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), India’s leading public-sector shipbuilder, is set to launch three advanced vessels — an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) for the Indian Navy, a Hybrid Electric Methanol-Ready Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV), and the country’s largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger, named DCI Dredge Godavari.

The event will highlight CSL’s engineering prowess and its expanding role across naval, commercial, and green maritime segments.

The ASW Shallow Water Craft forms part of an eight-vessel contract inked in April 2019, marking the sixth ship in the series for the Indian Navy. Measuring 78 metres in length and weighing 896 tonnes, the craft can reach speeds of up to 25 knots.

Equipped with sophisticated underwater sensors, lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, and mine-laying systems, the vessel is optimized for coastal defence missions. It will replace the aging Abhay-class corvettes, significantly enhancing the Navy’s near-shore anti-submarine warfare capability with improved automation, endurance, and mission flexibility.

CSL’s Hybrid Electric Methanol-Ready CSOV (Hull No. BY 151) represents its strategic entry into the offshore renewable energy domain. The 93-metre by 19.6-metre vessel is designed with a hybrid-electric propulsion system, methanol-ready dual-fuel engines, and large lithium-ion battery packs to ensure low emissions and operational efficiency.

The ship also includes advanced motion-compensated gangway systems enabling safe crew transfers for commissioning and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. With amenities suitable for long-duration offshore stays, the vessel also doubles as a “floating hotel” for technical teams, adhering to world-class vibration and noise standards.

The DCI Dredge Godavari, under construction for Dredging Corporation of India in partnership with Dutch firm Royal IHC, will be the largest and most technologically advanced dredger built in India. The vessel measures 127 metres in length and houses a 12,000-cubic-metre hopper capacity, capable of dredging up to depths of 36 metres.

Once operational, it will substantially enhance India’s dredging capacity, aiding coastal reclamation, port deepening, and maritime infrastructure projects critical to the country’s port-led economic initiatives. The collaboration exemplifies Aatmanirbhar Bharat by localizing sophisticated dredging technology.

According to CSL, this triple-launch milestone aligns closely with the Government’s Maritime India Vision 2030 and the national Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The projects collectively reflect India's rising technological self-reliance in shipbuilding, renewable maritime operations, and naval defence manufacturing.

These vessels not only broaden CSL’s industrial portfolio but also position India as a competitive global partner in sustainable shipbuilding and coastal infrastructure development.

Based On PTI Report