GRSE to Revamp Dry Docks at Khidderpore : Signs Concession Agreement with SMPK

Kolkata. 07 October 2021. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd., (GRSE), a Mini Ratna Category 1 Defence PSU and a leading warship building company of India, today signed the Concession Agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), to undertake the development & utilisation of the 3 existing Dry Docks of SMP at Khidderpore, 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 august presence of the Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) and AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Shri Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Additional Secretary, MoPSW and Rear Admiral VK Saxena, IN (Retd.),Chairman & Managing Director, GRSE, Shri Vinit Kumar, IRSEE, Chairman, SMPK & senior dignitaries of SMPK & GRSE, between Capt Amit Kapoor, Director (Marine Department), SMPK and Cmde PR Hari, IN (Retd.), Director (Personnel), GRSE.

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 generation 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 & refit of ships, which will aid in the feasibility for execution & expansion in and around Kolkata. Under the agreement, both entities look forward to develop 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, which is highest number of warships built & 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) & 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.