Goa Shipyard Ltd.

The Goa Shipyard Limited, located at Vasco-da-Gama, primarily builds small and medium size Naval vessels and repair/re-fit of ships/vessels. The company has undertaken construction/re-fit of variety of vessels for the Indian Navy and the coast guard as well as for the non-defence sector. GSL has maintained cutting edge in shipbuilding technology by induction of state of the art technology under collaboration with world leaders in the field. ToT from Korean shipyard for construction of Mine Counter Measure Vessels, Russian collaboration for building Frigates and Hovercraft technology from a UK Firm are being pursued in this regard.

Goa Shipyard Ltd. has overcome many physical constraints and recession in the shipbuilding Industry and has evolved successfully by using its optimum resources in its core competency area of manufacturing ship for the Defence needs of the country. Goa Shipyard Ltd. is in the process of modernizing the yard to adapt the latest technology in shipbuilding and is negotiating with world class shipbuilders for collaborative arrangement. For this purpose talks are already in progress for undertaking indigenous construction of Mine Counter Measure Vessels, Landing Craft Utility (ACVs) and Pollution Control Vessels.

Goa Shipyard Ltd. has built 167 vessels which include Barges, Tugs, Landing Craft Utility (LCUs), Torpedo Recovery Vessel, Survey Craft, Ferry Craft, Oiler, Survey Vessel, Hydrographic Vessel, Sail Training Ship, Offshore Patrol Vessels, Missile Craft, Extra Fast Attack Crafts and Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels, one Damage Control Simulator etc. With the new slipway having being commissioned at its Yard GSL can now take up major repair jobs of ships in the dry dock area. Recently, one Damage Control Simulator and 2 Double Boom level luffing cranes used for heavy lifting at Jetty's have also been constructed.

As India took its first steps as a political entity in 1947, the policy makers recognized that it would be in the country’s best interests to cultivate indigenous warship building as a strategic capability. In 1961, after Goa’s liberation, the potential of a small shipyard called “Estaleiros Navais de Goa” to contribute towards this national aspiration was recognized. The Yard, later renamed Goa Shipyard Limited, was consciously shaped, developed and upgraded to become one of the country’s premier defence shipbuilding hubs on the west coast.

Over the years, Goa Shipyard Ltd. gradually developed to meet the growing shipbuilding needs of the country’s naval defence sector, in the process going on to design and build a wide range of vessels for the defence as well as the commercial sectors. As one of the few Indian shipyards equipped with an in-house design capability, GSL carries out its own Research & Development, in the process developing an in-house product range that efficiently meets the specific requirements of clients in the defence as well as commercial sectors in the fields of design, construction, repair and modernization of vessels. Most new shipbuilding projects at GSL are based on our own in-house design – the result of intensive R&D activity carried out over the years. Currently, the Company is developing a range of Patrol Vessels from 29 m to 110 m.

While making consistent progress in its core competency of shipbuilding, the Yard has also proactively moved to exploit market opportunities by successfully diversifying into a related product range. It has designed and constructed Training Simulators for the Indian Navy and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation. A series of Interceptor boats have been built for the Ministry of Home Affairs and are used by the Coastal State Police on the west coast. The Damage Control Simulator built by Goa Shipyard for the Indian Navy, incidentally, is the only one of its kind in Asia and one of the very few existing worldwide. A Survival at Sea Training Facility has been designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard for ONGC for training of their personnel in meeting with real life emergencies that may occur on oil platforms. GSL has executed India’s first Shore Based Training Facility for carrier borne aircraft in association with the Aeronautical Development Agency of Bengaluru at INS Hansa, Goa. The facility will be used to train pilots for the MiG-29K and the indigenous LCA-Navy.

In keeping pace with today’s dynamic times, Goa Shipyard Ltd. has launched upon a massive modernization program aimed at creating new facilities and infrastructure even as existing facilities are augmented, to undertake the anticipated work load of ship construction in the years to come, including series construction of high technology ships for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

The modernisation plan is a result of a vision of the Ministry of Defence Production and GSL, to have a contemporary Shipyard. The modernization project implemented in four phases, will include a new integrated steel fabrication facility using modular construction technique and modern workshops. It will have dedicated building berths with shiplift and transfer system, dry repair berths, enhanced material handling and new crane facilities. There will be new material stores, a GRP complex for construction of MCMVs, fitting out jetties for ship outfitting, MCMV & repair ships and revamping of electrical and mechanical services and utilities. Rationalisation of resource utilization, introduction of state-of-the-art multipliers and business methods in all areas of shipbuilding, ship repair and life time support are also on the agenda. This remodeling will enable us to meet the qualitative and quantitative objectives of building and delivering quality ships at competitive cost with shorter construction periods and delivery times as well as increased capacity and product mix.

The blueprint of the new construction facilities is based on a “product centre concept”, where the ship construction process is streamlined through four distinct multi-functional production complexes that are easily manageable through localization of the mix of trade skills and the equipment required to complete the ship production process. This will minimise the movement of the workforce in various locations around the shipyard, and bring improved efficiencies of equipment and tooling, creating a highly efficient working environment, reduction in capital investment and reduction in operating costs by minimizing materials handling time.

Phases 1 and 2 of the Modernisation Project was commissioned on May 21st, 2011. This part of the Modernisation Project, has enhanced the Yard’s infrastructure with a system capable of docking 120 M vessels upto 6000 T and a Ship Transfer Area of around 13600 sq. mts. GSL can now count itself as India’s first Defence Shipyard to be equipped with a modern Shiplift facility for launching and docking of ships. The commissioning of the ship lift has given impetus to repair activities.

The Modernisation Project will give GSL the ability to build vessels to customers requirements in shorter time frames than at present. Once fully complete, it will result in substantial augmentation of the Shipyard’s capacity to fabricate steel, aluminium and GRP hull vessels to nearly three times its present capacity, whilst also leading to a quantum increase in the ship repair segment. This is a part of enhancing India’s strategic ability to design and build its “own ships”.

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) established in 1957, is a leading ISO 9001-2015 certified shipyard on the West Coast of India, functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India. GSL is strategically located on the banks of river Zuari in Goa, a major international tourist destination well connected by its international airport and major port enroute all important shipping lines.

Beginning as a small barge building yard, GSL has garnered reputation as one of the most sophisticated ship builders in the Country. For over four decades, GSL has designed, built and commissioned a wide range of sophisticated vessels for varied applications in the defence and commercial sectors with special expertise in building modern patrol vessels of Steel and Aluminium hull structure.

GSL has undertaken a planned modernisation programme in last few years and is in the process of creating new infrastructure for indigenous construction of MCMVs (Mine Counter Measure Vessels) for Indian Navy. Infrastructure Modernisation plan is being implemented in four phases, of which Phase 1 & 2 was completed in Mar 2011. Phase 3A was completed and inaugurated by Hon'ble Prime Minister on 13 Nov 2016. Work for balance phases (Phase 3B & 4) is also in progress and was planned to be completed by 2020.

On completion of Modernisation Plan, GSL would have the capability to build high Technology Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP), Hull Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs) indigenously, with the help of foreign technology provider. In addition, this will also substantially enhance the rate of production and shipbuilding capacity of the yard.

Modernisation plan for MCMV construction facilities was being executed, partly from internal accruals and part from Govt funding. The Government has sanctioned Rs 400 crore in October, 2010 towards development of facilities for indigenous construction of MCMV. The funding from internal accruals from GSL is approximately Rs 300 crore. MoD had further sanctioned Rs 480 crore in 2015 for augmentation of infrastructure under Phase 3B & 4 for MCMV Project. The work on same was in progress in 2018.