Garden Reach signs ₹226 crore contract to build 13 hybrid electric ferries for West Bengal govt

Warship-maker Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) on Tuesday (November 19) signed a contract worth approximately ₹226.18 crore (excluding GST) with the Transport Department of the Government of West Bengal.

The ferries will be operated on the River Hooghly by the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBTIDCL). The agreement involves the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of 13 hybrid electric ferries under the West Bengal Inland Water Transport, Logistics and Spatial Development Project (WBIWTLSDP).

These vessels will have a catamaran hull design and be built with aluminium and Fiber Reinforced Polymer or FRP. The hybrid electric propulsion systems will be powered by batteries as well as diesel generators. The hybrid system will offer greater flexibility to the operator to switch from one mode to the other as per requirement, allowing for greater safety.

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The use of batteries will reduce pollution substantially. GRSE had earlier been assigned by the Government of West Bengal to design a prototype for a next-generation zero-emission ferry. This ferry, named ‘Dheu’ was launched by GRSE on January 11, 2024 and technically accepted on March 22, 2024.

Of the 13 ferries for which the contract was signed, six will have twin decks with a capacity of 200 passengers each. The main deck will be air-conditioned. These vessels will be about 30 meters long and 8-10 meters wide. Their maximum speed will be 12 knots and each will require a crew of five. The estimated cost of these six vessels is ₹126.41 crore (excl. GST).

The remaining seven vessels will have only a single deck with a passenger capacity of 100. These ferries will be nearly 25 meters long and 8 meters wide with a top speed of 9 knots. There is a provision for five crew members on board. These seven vessels are expected to cost nearly ₹99.77 crore (excl. GST).

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As per the contract, the hybrid ferries will carry passengers in all-weather conditions on River Hooghly (part of National Waterway – 1, the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System) in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), stretching from Triveni in the north to Diamond Harbour in the south.