GRSE launches Ocean Research Vessel ‘Sagar Manthan’

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched the state-of-the-art Ocean Research Vessel (ORV) ‘Sagar Manthan’ at Rishi Bankim Shipyard, Kolkata on September 9.

• It is expected to be commissioned by 2028 after extensive sea trials.

• It is designed, engineered, and constructed by GRSE for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

• ORV Sagar Manthan will gradually replace the iconic 43-year-old ORV Sagar Kanya (procured from Germany in 1983).

• It was constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 840 crore.

• It was built in full compliance with international regulatory standards under dual-class certification by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). 

• ORV Sagar Manthan is an all-weather, multidisciplinary platform. It is engineered to operate in extreme oceanic environments, including the Southern Ocean, with a projected service life of 30 years.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)