GRSE Expands Into Green Mobility With New Hybrid Ferry and Bailey Bridge Orders

Defence shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) has secured fresh orders from the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited for the construction of two hybrid diesel-electric passenger ferries and two Bailey Bridges, strengthening the Navratna defence PSU’s growing presence in civilian green mobility and infrastructure.

The formal work orders were handed over on August 29, 2026 in Kolkata in the presence of West Bengal Tourism Minister Dr Shankar Ghosh, Minister of State for Tourism Purnima Chakraborty, GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Commodore P.R. Hari (Retd) and senior officials of GRSE and the state tourism corporation.

Two Hybrid Ferries for Inland Water Transport

Each of the new ferries will be approximately 24 metres long and eight metres wide and will have capacity for 100 passengers. The vessels will have a shallow draft requirement of about one metre, making them suitable for operation on inland waterways.

The ferries will combine battery-powered electric propulsion with diesel generators, providing operators with the flexibility to switch between propulsion modes according to operational requirements.

They are designed to achieve speeds of up to nine knots in hybrid diesel-electric mode and seven knots in fully electric mode. The vessels will also be classed by the Indian Register of Shipping.

The hybrid propulsion arrangement is intended to reduce fuel consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions compared with conventional diesel-powered passenger ferries. Electric operation should also result in lower noise and vibration levels, improving passenger comfort during river journeys.

West Bengal Expands Green River Mobility

The latest order builds upon a much larger green ferry programme already being executed by GRSE for West Bengal.

The shipyard is currently constructing 13 hybrid ferries for the state government. These vessels are intended to replace older diesel-powered ferries operating on the Hooghly and form part of West Bengal’s wider effort to modernise inland passenger transport with cleaner propulsion technology.

Those 13 vessels include six double-deck ferries capable of carrying 200 passengers each and seven single-deck vessels designed for 100 passengers. GRSE has said the hybrid systems will allow operators to alternate between battery and diesel-generator propulsion while substantially reducing pollution.

The latest two vessels have been ordered through the tourism department rather than the earlier transport programme, extending the use of green river transport into the state’s tourism infrastructure.

West Bengal has also announced plans to strengthen river-based religious and heritage tourism along the Hooghly, including a proposed passenger connection between Babughat in Kolkata and Mayapur.

GRSE Already Delivered Zero-Emission Ferry Dheu

GRSE’s move into electric passenger vessels predates the latest hybrid orders.

In January 2025, the shipyard delivered Dheu, a next-generation fully electric ferry developed for the Government of West Bengal. The vessel subsequently entered service on the Hooghly, including operations between Kolkata and Belur Math.

GRSE describes Dheu as part of its wider push into green maritime platforms. The defence shipyard is also developing vessels incorporating battery propulsion and other lower-emission technologies for domestic and international customers.

The shift is significant because GRSE is historically associated primarily with sophisticated warships for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Applying its naval engineering and ship-design capabilities to zero-emission and hybrid civilian vessels allows the company to diversify into an expanding global market for cleaner maritime transport.

Two 70R Bailey Bridges Also Ordered

Alongside the ferry contract, West Bengal has ordered two sets of Standard Width Bailey Bridges of 70R Road Class from GRSE.

Bailey Bridges are modular steel structures that can be transported in sections and assembled relatively quickly where permanent bridge construction would take considerably longer. Their modular architecture makes them especially valuable for difficult terrain, emergency restoration, military logistics and temporary connectivity projects.

GRSE has decades of experience manufacturing such systems and says it has supplied more than 5,900 modular bridges to the Indian Army, Border Roads Organisation, state governments, central agencies and friendly foreign countries.

The latest orders therefore bring together two very different areas of GRSE expertise: advanced shipbuilding and modular engineering infrastructure.

Defence Shipyard Diversifies Its Engineering Portfolio

GRSE remains one of India’s major defence shipbuilders and has constructed and delivered 118 warships for the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries.

At the same time, the Kolkata-based company has increasingly broadened its portfolio beyond conventional naval shipbuilding. Its current activities include civilian vessels, research ships, export platforms, green-propulsion projects and modular steel bridges.

The company’s official shipbuilding portfolio now specifically includes a New Generation Electric Ferry, reflecting the growing importance of low-emission marine propulsion within its civilian business.

This diversification allows capabilities developed for complex naval construction—including hull design, electrical integration, propulsion engineering and vessel automation—to be adapted for civilian transport.

Green Propulsion Becoming a Larger GRSE Business

GRSE is also pursuing cleaner propulsion in larger maritime projects.

The shipyard has previously said it is developing additional vessels with battery propulsion and is constructing multipurpose ships for an overseas customer, some of which will incorporate green propulsion technologies.

This reflects a broader change taking place across the maritime sector as operators seek to reduce emissions from port vessels, ferries and coastal shipping.

Short-distance passenger ferries are particularly suitable for electrification because they typically operate predictable routes and return frequently to locations where batteries can be charged.

Hybrid systems provide an intermediate solution where fully electric operation may not yet be practical throughout an entire journey. Batteries can be used during appropriate sections of the route, while diesel generators provide additional range and operational redundancy.

Indigenous Engineering for Civilian Infrastructure

The latest West Bengal orders also demonstrate how capabilities created inside India’s defence-industrial ecosystem can be applied to wider public infrastructure.

GRSE’s naval shipbuilding experience is being adapted to cleaner inland-water transport, while its military bridge-manufacturing expertise is being used to improve civilian connectivity.

For West Bengal, the projects add modern passenger vessels to a river network that remains an important element of transportation and tourism, particularly along the Hooghly.

For GRSE, the orders strengthen a business model that increasingly extends beyond warship construction into green maritime mobility and modular infrastructure.

The combination could become an important growth area for the defence PSU as demand increases for cleaner inland-water transportation across India.

With 13 hybrid ferries already under construction for West Bengal, the delivery of Dheu establishing experience in fully electric propulsion, and two additional tourism ferries now joining the order book, GRSE is gradually building one of the most substantial indigenous green-ferry portfolios in the country.

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References

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., official website and shipbuilding portfolio, including New Generation Electric Ferry and green maritime platforms.
https://www.grse.in/ship-building/

GRSE official background on West Bengal’s 13 hybrid ferry programme and Dheu zero-emission ferry.
https://grse.in/press-releases-2025-26-quarter1/

Indian PSU, “GRSE Receives New Orders from Government of West Bengal,” August 29, 2026.
https://indianpsu.com/grse-west-bengal-orders-hybrid-ferries-bailey-bridges/

Business Aajkal, “Bengal: GRSE gets orders for two more hybrid ferries, Bailey Bridges,” August 29, 2026.
https://www.businessaajkal.com/politics/bengal–grse-gets-orders-for-two-more-hybrid-ferries-bailey-bridges-32449

The Times of India, report on West Bengal’s proposed river-tourism connection between Babughat and Mayapur, August 29, 2026.

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