Shachi-class offshore patrol vessel

The Shachi-class (Project 21) is class of naval offshore patrol vessels being built by Reliance Defence and Engineering (formerly known as Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Limited) at its shipyard in Indian state of Gujarat.

Shachi and Shruti
Class overview
Name: Shachi class
Builders: Pipavav Shipyard
Operators:  Indian Navy
Preceded by: Saryu class
Planned: 5
Building: 5
General characteristics
Type: Offshore patrol vessel
Displacement: 1,500 t (1,700 short tons)[1]
Length: 105 m (344 ft)[1]
Propulsion: 2 × 18,200 kW (24,400 hp) diesel engines[2]
Speed: 25 kn (46 km/h)[1]
Range: 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h)[3]
Armament:

Development

In June 2010, it was reported that Pipavav Shipyard won a contract from the Indian Ministry of Defence to build five naval offshore patrol vessels for the Indian Navy.[4] On 27 May 2011, the contract worth ₹2,974.58 crore (equivalent to ₹49 billion or US$690 million in 2019) was signed with the delivery of the first ship scheduled for November 2014 and the remaining ships in intervals of six months each.[5]

Initially, the vessels were planned to be built to a design sourced from Severnoye Design Bureau.[6] They were planned to be 110 metres (360 ft) long with a displacement of 2,000 tonnes (2,200 short tons) and a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h).[4] However, talks with Severnoye broke down over differences in pricing and a new design partner, reported to be Alion Science, was chosen.[7][8] In DEFEXPO 2014, Pipavav shipyard released a new design for the class with a lower displacement of 1,500 tonnes (1,700 short tons) but a higher top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h).[3][1]

There have been numerous delays in the project, initially due to change of design partner and subsequently due to financial issues of the shipyard and acquisition of Pipavav Shipyard by Reliance.[9] In June 2016, it was reported that the shipyard is accelerating work on the delayed order with a shorter delivery schedule for the last three ships.[10] As of March 2018, the ships are scheduled for delivery between June 2018 and June 2020.[11] Pipavav might be asked to pay liquidated damages of up to ₹125 crore (US$18 million) for the delayed delivery.[7] In December 2018, it was reported that bank guarantees of over ₹100 crore (US$14 million) had been encashed by the Indian Navy.[12]

Ships of the class

Two ships of the first batch, INS Shachi and INS Shruti, were launched on 25 July 2017.[13][2][14]

Yard No. Name Pennant number Builder Launched Sea trials Commissioned Homeport Status
NS001[15] INS Shachi RDEL 25 July 2017 Late 2020 (expected)[16] Fitting out
NS002 INS Shruti RDEL 25 July 2017 Early 2021 (expected)[16] Fitting out

References
  1. "Reliance Defence delivers 2 patrol vessels to Navy". The Hindu Business Line. Mumbai: The Hindu Group. 25 July 2017.
  2. "First Two NOPVs Shachi and Shruti launched by RDEL at Pipavav, Gujarat". Indian Navy. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  3. "PIPAVAV unveils new Offshore Patrol Vessel design at DEFEXPO 2014". Navy Recognition. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  4. Nair, Avinash (7 June 2010). "Pipavav bags Rs 2,600-cr Navy deal". The Economic Times. The Times Group.
  5. Demands for grants (2014–2015): Navy and Airforce (Demand Nos. 23 and 24) (PDF). Fourth report of the Standing Committee on Defence (2014–2015) (Report). New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretariat. December 2014. p. 7.
  6. Rai, Ranjit (April 2012). "At a low ebb". Defence and Security of India. Vol. 4 no. 4. MTC Publishing Limited. p. 42. OCLC 317846306.
  7. Pubby, Manu (17 April 2015). "Pipavav may face penalty up to Rs 125cr from defence ministry over delay in naval vessels project". The Times of India. The Times Group.
  8. Hardy, James (February 2013). "Indian Navy commissions first-in-class Saryu OPV". IHS Jane's Navy International. Jane's Information Group. 118 (1). ISSN 2048-3457.
  9. Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations contained in the Twentieth Report (16th Lok Sabha) on 'Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Defence for the year 2016–17 on Army, Navy and Air Force (Demand No. 22) (PDF). Thirty-fifth report of the Standing Committee on Defence (2017–18) (Report). New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretariat. December 2017. p. 58.
  10. "Reliance Defence speeds up Rs 2,500-crore patrol vessel project". The Economic Times. The Times Group. 14 June 2016.
  11. "Demands for grants (2018–19): Army, Navy and Air Force (Demand No. 20)" (PDF). Forty first report of the Standing Committee on Defence (2017–2018). New Delhi: Lok Sabha Secretariat. March 2018. pp. 23–24.
  12. Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (4 December 2018). "Punitive action against Reliance firm, Navy encashes bank guarantee in vessel deal". The Economic Times.
  13. "Reliance Defence Engg launches patrol ships for Indian Navy". Ultra News. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  14. "First Two NOPVs Shachi and Shruti Launched by RDEL at Pipavav, Gujarat". Press Information Bureau (Press release). 25 July 2017.
  15. "Reliance Defence and Engineering launches first two NOPVs from Pipavav shipyard". Dalal Street Investment Journal. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  16. Bedi, Rahul (26 July 2017). "RDEL launches first two Project 21 NOPVs for Indian Navy". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017.
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