GSL Mine Counter-Measure Vessels are series of twelve naval ship that were jointly proposed to be built by

Goa Shipyard Limited Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) is an Indian Government owned ship building company located on the West Coast of India at Vasco da Gama, Goa. It was established in 1957, originally by the colonial government of the Portuguese in India as the "Estalei ...

and a yet to be decided TOT partner for the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

Background

In May 2004, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD) approved a Mine Counter-Measures Vessel (MCMV) programme. The plan was to procure up to 24 MCMVs to replace the 12 existing Soviet-made Pondicherry/Karwar-class ocean

minesweepers A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

that had been in service for the last 25 to 30 years. An order was placed with

(GSL) for eight Mine Counter-Measures Vessels (MCMVs). The hulls were to be made from "lightweight reinforced composites rather than steel to lower their acoustic and magnetic signatures and to better resist underwater explosions." Hence a request for proposal (RFP) for construction and/or technology assistance was asked by Goa Shipyard Limited from builders Intermarine of Italy, Kangnam Corp and IZAR of Spain. Kangnam and Intermarine were shortlisted for meeting technical requirements. Thereafter Kangnam bidded a lower price and contracted the deal worth $670 million with Indian Ministry of Defence in 2011. The first two MCMVs were to be delivered by 2016, followed by user trials and acceptance, while the remaining six were to be built by Goa Shipyard Limited SL In 2014, the Ministry of Defence canceled a 2008 global tender in which Kangnam Corporation had emerged as the winner because of the South Korean company's alleged use of defense agents in pursuing the deal, which overseas defense companies are not allowed to do under Indian law

Mine-hunting gear

As of 2011 RFPs for mine-hunting gear had been sent to

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...

of the Netherlands,

Atlas Elektronik Atlas Elektronik is a naval/marine electronics and systems business based in Bremen, Germany. It is involved in the development of integrated sonar systems for submarines and heavyweight torpedoes. The company was a subsidiary of BAE System ...

of Germany, Fábrica de Artillería Bazán

FABA ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Varieti ...

of Spain and ECA SA of France. Indian public sector firm Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) was expected to supply the fire control radar for the vessel. BEL entered a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...

with OTO Melara of Italy to supply 30 mm guns.

2015 EOI and tender

Subsequently,

was awarded a $5 billion noncompetitive contract in 2014. In September 2015, it floated a global expression of interest (EOI) from companies willing to transfer the technology to build the vessels. In February 2016, Kangnam Corporation responded and was the sole respondent to the EOI, leading to a single vendor situation but was accepted by the Ministry of Defence. Kangnam Corporation will transfer technology and help in the production of the MCMVs and will be paid about $1 billion in the form of a technology transfer fee. Indian Navy has a total requirement of 24 MCMV's and there will be an additional order of 12 MCMV's to top the current order of 12 MCMVs. The construction of the first vessel was expected to begin in April 2018 with deliveries to be completed between April 2021 and April 2026. In January 2018, the deal was cancelled by the Indian government. Issues with cost and transfer of technology had marred the deal.

Specifications

* Displacement: 885 tons * Length: 63 m * Beam: 10.2 m * Draft: 2.7 m * Propulsion: 2 × diesels, 2 shafts, 3,728 kW (5,000 hp) * Maximum speed: 16 knots * Range: 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 10 knots; 3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 12 knots * Complement: 10 officers, 67 enlisted * Sensors and processing systems: BEL Sonar and BEL Radar * Electronic warfare: BEL minesweeper equipment * Armament: 4 × 30 mm (2×2) guns * 4 × 30 mm (2×2) AA * 4 × 25 mm (2×2) AA

References

External links