Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd signed a contract with the Transport Department, Government of West Bengal, for the delivery of 13 hybrid ferries on Tuesday, 19th November, 2024, according to India Shipping News. The ferries will be operated on the River Hooghly by the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBTIDCL).
These vessels will have catamaran hull design and be built with aluminum and Fiber Reinforced Polymer or FRP. The hybrid electric propulsion systems will be powered by batteries as well as diesel generators. The hybrid system will offer greater flexibility to the operator to switch from one mode to the other as per requirement, allowing for greater safety. The use of batteries will reduce pollution substantially.
GRSE had earlier been assigned by the Government of West Bengal to design a prototype for a next generation zero-emission ferry. This ferry, named ‘Dheu’ was launched by GRSE on 11 Jan 24 and technically accepted on 22 Mar 24.
Of the 13 ferries for which the contract was signed, six will have twin decks with a capacity of 200 passengers each. The main deck will be air-conditioned. These vessels will be about 30 meters long and 8-10 meters wide. Their maximum speed will be 12 knots and each will require a crew of five. The estimated cost of these six vessels is Rs 126 crore (about $150 million).
The remaining seven vessels will have only a single deck with a passenger capacity of 100. These ferries will be nearly 25 meters long and 8 meters wide with a top speed of 9 knots. There is provision for five crew members on board. These seven vessels are expected to cost nearly Rs 100 crore (about $120 million).
As per the contract, the hybrid ferries will carry passengers in all-weather conditions on River Hooghly (part of National Waterway – 1, the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System) in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), stretching from Triveni in the north to Diamond Harbour in the south.