Shreyas Launched in Kolkata as India Advances Offshore Patrol Vessel Programme

Shreyas, a next-generation offshore patrol vessel for the Indian Navy, was launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata on October 10. The event advances an indigenous shipbuilding programme intended to strengthen maritime surveillance, offshore protection and emergency-response capability.

The Defence Ministry identified the vessel as Yard 3040 and said Reyman Kochhar launched it in the presence of Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. The programme brings together GRSE in Kolkata and Goa Shipyard Limited, with both yards responsible for ships designed and built in India.

The third launch at GRSE

According to defence publication Raksha Anirveda, Shreyas is the third of four vessels in GRSE’s share of the programme. Its launch followed Sanghmitra on May 20 and Shruti on August 11, putting the three launches within a period of less than five months. That sequence shows progress in construction, although launching a hull is a different milestone from delivering a completed vessel.

The publication described the class as approximately 113 metres long and 14.6 metres wide, with a displacement of 3,000 tonnes. Reported design figures include a maximum speed of 23 knots and an endurance of 8,500 nautical miles at 14 knots. These are stated specifications for the class, rather than independently verified results from Shreyas’s sea trials.

Where it fits in the Navy’s plans

The original Defence Ministry contract announcement, issued on March 30, 2023, put the eleven-vessel offshore patrol programme at ₹9,781 crore. Goa Shipyard’s allocation was seven ships and GRSE’s was four. The acquisition was placed under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, covering indigenous design, development and manufacture.

That announcement also covered a separate order for six next-generation missile vessels. The approximately ₹19,600-crore combined figure sometimes associated with the announcement therefore covers both procurements. It should not be presented as the cost of the patrol-vessel programme alone or as the price of Shreyas.

The Navy’s October 10 release listed maritime surveillance, search and rescue, protection of offshore assets, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and anti-piracy among the intended roles. Taken together, these duties show why an offshore patrol vessel needs to support sustained presence at sea as well as respond to specific incidents.

Launch and operational service are separate

The confirmed event is a launch. The ministry’s announcement did not establish that Shreyas had been commissioned or begun operational patrols, and it did not give a commissioning date. Treating the ceremony as an immediate addition to deployed naval strength would go beyond what the release confirms.

The useful measures from here are completion, testing, acceptance and eventual entry into service. October 10 provided evidence of another construction milestone at GRSE; the ship’s eventual availability for the fleet will depend on the remaining work.

Sources: Defence Ministry: Shreyas launch; Raksha Anirveda: programme and specifications; Defence Ministry: original contracts.