Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) and Yantra India Limited (YIL) have launched five brownfield expansion projects in West Bengal aimed at strengthening India’s shipbuilding, defence manufacturing and strategic industrial capabilities. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stones for the projects at GRSE Bhavan in Kolkata in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and senior officials from the central and state governments, GRSE and YIL.
Three of the projects are being undertaken by GRSE and are focused on expanding shipbuilding, ship repair and small-vessel manufacturing capacity. GRSE has signed lease agreements with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for two small shipyards on either side of the Hooghly, along with a 32-acre riverside property at Raichak.
The Raichak facility will be developed as a major shipbuilding hub with an investment of more than ₹2,500 crore. The site has a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty and a draught of 8–10 metres. The planned infrastructure will include a 200-metre dry dock, slipway, launching pad, jetties and block fabrication facilities. The facility will support construction of warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels of up to 60,000 DWT.
At Shalimar, GRSE will invest nearly ₹100 crore to rejuvenate its four-acre Timber Pond facility. The project includes restoration of a 130-metre dry dock and construction of a 120-metre slipway for medium-sized shipbuilding and repair activities. The Damodar facility at Kidderpore Docks will receive an investment of around ₹70 crore. The facility will support construction and repair of medium-sized vessels, electric ferries and other small craft.
Two additional projects at YIL’s Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore will receive a combined investment of more than ₹750 crore. A ₹277.59-crore 3,000-tonne Heavy Duty Hydraulic Open Die Forging Press will replace the existing 2,650-tonne press and manufacture gun barrels, ammunition components and heavy defence forgings.
A ₹473.84-crore Radial Forging Plant will produce super alloy forgings, aerial bomb tubes, ordnance hardware, railway axles and nuclear reactor components. Modern Industry 4.0 and energy-efficient technologies will be incorporated into both facilities. Rajnath Singh said the projects will strengthen domestic manufacturing and support India’s self-reliance in defence. He also highlighted GRSE’s record of delivering more than 800 platforms, including 118 warships.
GRSE, a leading defence public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Defence, has decades of experience in designing and building advanced warships for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. Headquartered in Kolkata, the shipyard has delivered a wide range of platforms including frigates, corvettes, patrol vessels and specialised naval systems. Its long-standing expertise in indigenous ship design and construction has made it a key contributor to India’s maritime security infrastructure.
