NGOPV Sanghmitra launched by Sarita Vatsayan in Kolkata. (Photo: GRSE)
Kolkata: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) on Wednesday launched Sanghamitra, the first next-generation offshore patrol vessel (NGOPV) from its yard, in a ceremony held in Kolkata. The vessel was launched by Sarita Vatsayan, in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, vice-chief of the naval staff, and senior officials from the Indian Navy, Ministry of Defence, and GRSE.
The event was marked by naval honours and traditional rituals.
Sanghamitra is one of four NGOPVs being built by GRSE under a wider programme of 11 ships ordered for the Indian Navy. The remaining seven are being built by Goa Shipyard Ltd. Contracts for the class were signed in March 2023, and deliveries are scheduled to begin from September 2026.
The new vessels are being built under the government’s Buy (Indian-IDDM) category and are meant to strengthen the Navy’s presence in the littorals and wider maritime domain. According to officials, the ships will be used for surveillance, protection of offshore assets, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, anti-piracy missions, visit-board-search-and-seizure operations, convoy duties and counter-infiltration tasks.
Read also: Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan – Meet the new chief of Western Naval Command
All about NGOPV Sanghamitra
The NGOPVs are significantly larger than earlier offshore patrol vessels, with a length of about 113 metres, a beam of 14.6 metres, a displacement of around 3,000 tonnes and a top speed of 23 knots. They are designed to operate with a draught of only 4 metres, which gives them the flexibility to work in coastal waters and around offshore infrastructure. Their endurance is stated at 8,500 nautical miles at 14 knots.
The ship’s name draws on India’s historical and cultural heritage. Sanghmitra refers to the daughter of Emperor Ashoka, while the crest features the Ursa Major constellation and a red-and-white lighthouse.
The launch comes at a time when India is pushing to expand domestic warship construction and reduce dependence on imports. The NGOPV programme fits into that wider objective and adds to GRSE’s recent production run, which the yard says included the delivery of eight ships in the previous financial year.
GRSE has also previously exported the offshore patrol vessel MCGS Barracuda to Mauritius, a reference point often cited to show India’s growing shipbuilding capability in the region.
What it means
For the Navy, the new class adds a versatile platform suited to peacetime presence, maritime policing and limited combat support rather than high-intensity warfighting.
For India’s shipbuilding sector, the launch reinforces the role of domestic yards in executing large, multi-vessel programmes on schedule.
