GRSE to Revamp Dry Docks at Khidderpore – Signs Concession Agreement with SMPK
Kolkata, October 07, 2021
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd., (GRSE) today signed the Concession Agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), to undertake the development and utilization of the three existing Dry Docks of SMP at Kidderpore, Kolkata.
The project envisages upgrading, operating, and managing the infrastructural facilities at these docks towards their effective utilization. The Concession Agreement was signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Shri Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Additional Secretary, MoPSW and Shri VK Saxena, Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE and Shri Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SMPK As a part of the investment promotional activity of Maritime India, the agreement aims to play a vital role in abetting the strategic growth plans for both the companies in addition to the revenue generated from the ship repair and refit of Defence and commercial segments, predominantly in the Eastern Region.
This collaboration will also contribute to the future strategy of GRSE to take on additional shipbuilding activities, including repair and refit of ships, which will aid in the feasibility for execution and expansion in and around Kolkata. Under the agreement, both entities look forward to developing a dynamic partnership and understanding to explore new business prospects, skill development, and facility improvement, which in turn will aid in employment generation in Kolkata, as a part of maritime growth and Nation-building exercise.
Since its inception as a DPSU in 1960, GRSE has built 788 platforms, which include 107 warships to Maritime forces, the highest number of warships built and delivered by any shipyard in the country. With an emphasis on export activities, GRSE is currently executing six shipbuilding projects including three Advanced Frigates under Project 17A, four Survey Vessels (Large) and eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts for the Indian Navy and one Fast Patrol Vessel for the Indian Coast Guard, apart from the export ships for Republic of Guyana and Government of Bangladesh.
