Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited has emerged the lowest bidder for the construction and delivery of a 15-tonne Bollard Pull (BP) Electric Tug for Kolkata's Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), officials confirmed on Thursday, 25 June. The contract marks another step in GRSE's expanding green shipbuilding portfolio, as India's ports push toward decarbonisation.

Vessel Specifications

The electric tug will measure 25 metres in length with a beam of 8 metres, designed for harbour assistance and towing operations. Powered entirely by Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) batteries, it will deliver a static ahead bollard pull of 15 tonnes, reach a maximum speed of 9 knots, and sustain two hours of continuous operation. The vessel will also come with its own shore power charging infrastructure, and is estimated to cost around ₹40 crore.

Green Shipbuilding Push

The project must be built to International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) classification standards and incorporate advanced battery-propulsion technology — significantly cutting emissions and contributing to cleaner port operations. A senior official noted that while ₹40 crore is a modest sum for a shipyard that builds warships worth thousands of crores, the strategic importance lies elsewhere. 'The government has announced all tugs in the country will get replaced by electric ones in the years to come,' the official said, underscoring the broader national maritime decarbonisation agenda.

This comes amid GRSE's deepening engagement with green vessel technologies. The shipyard has already delivered a zero-emission fully electric ferry to the West Bengal government and is currently building 13 hybrid ferries for the same client. Notably, it is also working on 12 multi-purpose vessels for a German company, four of which will feature green propulsion systems.

GRSE's Defence and Commercial Track Record

Founded as a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) in 1960, GRSE has built more than 800 ships across various classes — including 118 warships delivered to the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, and friendly foreign nations. This is the highest number of warships delivered by any single shipyard in India. The most recent milestone came on 21 July, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three GRSE-built warships into the Navy: INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak, and INS Agray.

Current Order Book

GRSE is presently working on nine warships and 30 commercial platforms. The warship pipeline includes four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs). The shipyard is also in advanced stages of finalising a contract for the construction of five Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) — a prestigious addition to its defence portfolio. The electric tug for SMP Kolkata adds a commercially and symbolically significant green vessel to an already diverse order book.