Towards Absolute Indigenization in OPVs

By Editor 14-Jun-2018

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) is always on the lookout to get most advanced and niche shipbuilding technology to India through collaboration/ ToT. You will shortly be hearing a lot from us regarding our initiatives towards indigenization and ‘Make in India’ to bridge the technology gap. Increased indigenous content onboard ships constructed at GSL has been and will be the focus areas of GSL in the times to come. Having touched 70% indigenous content on GSL OPVs, I am hopeful that day is not far when we will have 100% indigenous content, says RAdm Shekhar Mital, NM, In.(Retd), CMD, Goa Shipyard Ltd. In an interview with Aeromag, he talks about GSL’s latest operations and aim of achieving absolute indigenization in shipbuilding.

1. Could you talk about the major achievements of GSL recently?

GSL has delivered more than 20 ships in last 04 years including 09 OPVs, 02 FPVs, 11 FIBs, 02 1000T fuel Barges and 02 Damage Control Simulators which together amounts to 32000 tonnes of shipbuilding. This is the highest in the shipbuilding industry, with the unique distinction of attaining all deliveries prior contractual schedule. In today’s time, when majority of the Indian Shipyards are struggling with ‘time’ and ‘cost’ overruns, GSL has stood out with timely delivery of all Projects at ‘fixed costs’.

The Shipyard has recently completed Coast Guard Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel Project (AOPV) involving six ships, the most successful Project in the Indian Shipbuilding Industry. All six ships have been delivered within a short span of two years with interval of five months between delivery of two successive ships. The Project also saw the ‘build period’ of 2400-ton Advanced OPVs being reduced to 36 months from 67 months taken earlier for last OPVs built by GSL.

On the financial front, the company has been recording impressive growth Year on Year. For the Financial Year 2017-18, we have recorded a VoP at Rs 1361, a threefold jump in the last three years and this year’s VoP being the highest ever in the history of GSL. The PBT has increased about 4.5 times from (-)63 Crores in FY 13-14 to Rs 305 Crore. Year after year, the Shipyard has been reporting highest operating profit in the industry.

2. Recently GSL has announced its plan to build minesweeper vessels with stealth features for the first time in India. Could you elaborate on it?

GSL is slated to execute the highly prestigious Major Import Substitute Project for construction of 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs) for the Indian Navy. Towards indigenous construction of these vessels, we have to put majority of infrastructure, expertise and planning into place to be able to start construction of the MCMVs by 2019. The requisite infrastructure is almost complete with balance 15 to 20% likely to be completed by 2019-20. The Phase 3A was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 Nov 2016. Post completion of MCMV infrastructure, GSL would be the only Shipyard in India to be armed with specialised construction technology of GRP composite hull for MCMVs.

3. GSL has been a major supplier of vessels to the Indian Navy (IN) and Coast Guard. Could you give the details of vessels under construction at GSL?

Considering the major success of recently completed 06 CG OPV Project for the Indian Coast Guard and superior performance of GSL constructed OPVs, Indian Coast Guard has placed an order on GSL for 05 follow-on ships. The construction activities for the same have commenced in Mar 16 and the ships are scheduled to be delivered in 2020/21.

For Indian Navy, we are constructing four 1000-ton fuel barges, out of which two have already been delivered prior contractual delivery schedule. Remaining two are in advanced stages of construction and likely to be delivered much before schedule.

4. Could you shed more light onto GSL’s indigenization efforts in line with ‘Make in India’ programme?

Apart from major import substitute projects under ‘Make in India’ for MCMVs and Advanced Missile Frigates, GSL has collaborated with M/s Griffon Hover works Limited (GHL), UK, a key player in hovercraft design who continuously invests in research and product development to offer the very latest in hovercraft technology. An agreement with GHL was concluded in Dec 14 towards inflicting indigenous production of Hovercraft in India for Indian Army and Coast Guard for two classes of hovercraft design.  GSL has already developed expertise and erected requisite infrastructure for the indigenous construction of Hovercrafts at GSL and presently pursuing vigorously with potential customers.

Ship design is one of the thrust areas of GSL, where 100% self-reliance has been achieved. We design and build one of the best Patrol Vessels in the world in terms of quality, fuel efficiency, ergonomic design and optimum cost.

Another major initiative was adoption of “Purchase Preference Policy’ in favour of indigenous equipment manufacturers in 2014. The government has recently promulgated a similar purchase preference policy. Similarly, we were the first to propose construction of MCMVs in India under ‘Make in India’ program and has been accorded DAC sanction in Feb 15.

Increased indigenous content onboard ships constructed at GSL has been and will be the focus areas of GSL in the times to come. Having touched 70% indigenous content on GSL OPVs, I am hopeful that day is not far when we will have 100% indigenous content.

The Shipyard is always on the lookout to get most advanced and niche shipbuilding technology to India through collaboration/ ToT. You will shortly be hearing a lot from us regarding our initiatives towards indigenization and ‘Make in India’ to bridge the technology gap.