Garden Reach Shipbuilders Wins Rs 226-Crore Deal To Make Hybrid Ferries For West Bengal
Garden Reach Shipbuilders will deliver 13 ferries, six of which will feature twin decks with a capacity of 200 passengers each.
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Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. on Tuesday bagged a contract from the West Bengal Transport Department for the delivery of 13 hybrid ferries for Rs 226.18 crore. The ferries will be operated on the river Hooghly by the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corp.
"These vessels will have catamaran hull design and be built with aluminum and Fiber Reinforced Polymer or FRP. The hybrid electric propulsion systems will be powered by batteries as well as diesel generators," a statement said.
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, it added.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders had earlier been assigned by the West Bengal government to design a prototype for a next generation zero-emission ferry. This ferry, named 'Dheu' was launched by the company in January.
Out of the 13 ferries, six will feature twin decks with a capacity of 200 passengers each. The main deck will be air-conditioned for passenger comfort.
These larger ferries will measure approximately 30 meters in length and 8-10 meters in width, with a top speed of 12 knots. Each vessel will require a crew of five, and the total cost of these six ferries is estimated at Rs 126.41 crore, excluding the goods and services tax.
The remaining seven ferries will have a single deck and a reduced capacity of 100 passengers. These smaller vessels will be around 25-meter long and 8-meter wide, with a maximum speed of 9 knots. Like the larger ferries, they will also be staffed by a crew of five, and their combined estimated cost is Rs 99.77 crore, excluding GST, Garden Reach Shipbuilders said.
These hybrid ferries are designed to enhance the connectivity and mobility across the Kolkata metropolitan region by providing a reliable and eco-friendly transportation option along the Hooghly river, the company said.
Shares of Garden Reach Shipbuilders closed 1.67% higher at Rs 1,411.6 apiece on the BSE, ahead of the announcement, compared to 0.31% climb in the benchmark Sensex.
