Recently, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), India’s state-run defense shipyard, announced on its official website that German shipping company Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler has exercised an option for four 7,500 dwt multi-purpose vessels (MPPs). The new vessels are expected to be delivered between mid-2027 and the first quarter of 2028, bringing Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler’s vessels at the yard to eight.
India’s GRSE and Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler are understood to have signed a contract for the construction of four 7,500 dwt MPPs on June 22, 2024, with options for four vessels of the same type. With the four options in force, the total value of the eight new vessels is $107.2 million.
The multi-purpose vessel has an overall length of 120 meters, a beam of 17 meters and a maximum draft of 6.75 meters. When delivered, it can be used to transport bulk, general and project cargoes including large wind turbine blades.
GRSE is a part of the Indian Ministry of Defense and is known for building ships and offshore vessels. The official website shows that GRSE’s history dates back to 1884, and it now has a modern shipbuilding infrastructure, VR labs, and other shipbuilding facilities, with an annual production capacity of 20 ships. As of March 31, 2023, the shipyard has delivered 108 warships.
Currently, a number of Indian shipyards are stepping up their efforts to build merchant ships. India’s Prime Minister Modi has formulated a plan to make India one of the world’s five largest shipbuilding centers in 10 years.
However, the global shipbuilding industry is now mainly concentrated in China, South Korea, Japan, Europe and the United States and other countries and regions, India in the global shipbuilding market share of less than 1%.