Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) has signed a contract with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for the construction of two Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs). The agreement was formalized on June 11, 2025, in Kolkata, highlighting GRSE’s growing role in specialized research vessel manufacturing.

Each vessel will be 64 meters long and 12 meters wide, with a deadweight tonnage of 450 tons. Designed for oceanic exploration and environmental research, the CRVs will support geological mapping, mineral exploration, and environmental monitoring. Equipped with onboard laboratories, they will have 15-day endurance and house 35 personnel each.

This project reinforces GRSE’s capabilities, with the company also constructing an Ocean Research Vessel for NCPOR and an Acoustic Research Ship for DRDO’s NPOL. GRSE is currently building 16 warships and has been the lowest bidder for the Navy’s Next Generation Corvette program. The shipyard is also building multipurpose cargo vessels for a German company.

The company’s leadership emphasized the vessels will use diesel-electric propulsion and operate within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone.