Kolkata-based state-run shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has secured a ₹45.02 crore contract from the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (WBTDCL) to construct two electric ferries.
According to a regulatory filing, the two ferries will each have a passenger capacity of 100 and are scheduled to be delivered within 18 months from the signing of the contract.
The vessels will be developed to support sustainable public water transport and strengthen eco-friendly tourism infrastructure in West Bengal. The order also marks a further expansion of GRSE’s commercial order book in the green technology shipbuilding segment and supports the government’s Make in India initiative.
The contract comes a day after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually laid the foundation stones for five major expansion projects involving GRSE and Yantra India Ltd, with a combined investment of nearly ₹3,500 crore.
The projects are aimed at strengthening shipbuilding, vessel repair and defence manufacturing infrastructure in West Bengal, further supporting the state’s position as an important hub for maritime and defence manufacturing.