NPOL inks pact with GRSE for acoustic research ship

The Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a Kochi-based research and development laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has signed a contract worth ₹490.98 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata, for the design and construction of an acoustic research ship.

Duvvuri Seshagiri, Director of NPOL and Cdr. Shantanu Bose, Director (Shipbuilding) of GRSE, signed the contract. The NPOL is involved in the development of technologies for underwater surveillance systems and oceanographic research for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) applications for the Indian Navy. Oceanographic experiments have profound significance in the design and development of ASW sonar systems. The realisation of the ship equipped with state-of-the-art oceanographic equipment will be a major milestone in the R&D road map of NPOL, says a release by NPOL.

The ship will be designed as acoustically silent with minimum underwater radiated noise and this is the first time a silent class ship is being built in the country. It will be capable of deploying and towing various equipment such as acoustic modules, generating sound-velocity profiles, collection of ocean data and deploying underwater moored systems. The ship will have dynamic positioning system and will be capable of achieving a speed of 12 knots. At its top speed, it will have an endurance of 30 days or 4,500 nautical miles in a single mission. The ship that will be delivered by GRSE in three years will also be equipped with special test facilities such as moon pool, gondola and drop keel and onboard handling equipment for sea trials, it says.

Published - November 01, 2024 10:54 pm IST