India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norway-based Kongsberg to construct the country’s first Polar Research Vessel (PRV). The signing took place in Oslo on June 2 during the Nor-Shipping 2025 maritime trade event.
The vessel will be built indigenously at GRSE’s shipyard in Kolkata. It will serve the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which will operate it for scientific missions in the Arctic, Antarctic, and Southern Ocean regions. The design and technological support will come from Kongsberg.
The PRV will be equipped to handle various functions related to oceanography, climate research, and polar logistics. It is intended to support long-term scientific studies in polar zones and aid India’s research operations in extreme environments.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal was present during the MoU signing. Senior officials from both India and Norway, as well as leadership from GRSE and Kongsberg, attended the event. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of Nor-Shipping, where ministers and maritime officials from multiple countries were present.
On the same day, Sonowal attended a high-level meeting on the future of shipping. Officials from Brazil, Japan, the United States, China, Norway, and the United Nations were also in attendance. Discussions focused on long-term regulation, ocean-based trade, and maritime sustainability.
Read more: Garden Reach Shipbuilders Q4 FY25 Results!
Sonowal held further discussions with members of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Indian shipyards currently account for 11% of the NSA’s order book. Topics included shipbuilding partnerships, ship recycling, and green shipping corridors. India’s ship recycling infrastructure, with 87% of its yards compliant with the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) standards, was also highlighted.
As of 09:32 AM on June 4, 2025, GRSE share price was trading at ₹3,450.70, a 9.53% increase, with a 77.15% increase over the past 6 months and 146.70% over the past year.
The construction of the Polar Research Vessel is part of a larger maritime engagement between India and Norway. It will add to India’s research capacity in polar regions while contributing to the growth of domestic shipbuilding.
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Published on: Jun 4, 2025, 10:15 AM IST
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