Reliance Defence to deliver its first vessel after takeover of the shipyard

Reliance Defence delivers the first vessel to ONGC. Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd has delivered seventh offshore supply vessel (OSV) to state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

This is the first vessel to be delivered by Reliance Defence, formerly Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Co Ltd, since takeover of the shipyard by Reliance Group on January 18, 2016.

"Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) formerly Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd delivered its seventh OSV to ONGC from the series of 12 indigenously designed and built ships, valued at Rs 700 crore," the company said in a statement.

The total value of the project for supply of 12 OSV to ONGC is over Rs 700 crore.

"The vessel completed its sea-trials within a record time of two days to the satisfaction of ONGC and Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The vessel will facilitate ONGC in substituting their older fleet and chartered vessels as well as bring in high level offshore operations," it said.

The vessel has been designed as a new generation OSV with customized features for Indian waters and offshore fields. It can carry 1,800 tons of cargo at its deepest draught and is designed to carry varied cargo such as freshwater, cement, ballast/drill water and fuel oil.

In addition to ONGC, the company has also served international clients like Transocean, Shelf Drilling, NPCC and Noble Energy.

"There is a significant demand for new and replacement vessels for offshore oil and gas fields and RDEL is well positioned to benefit from these initiatives," it said.

OSV measures 59.2 m in length, 15.0 m in width and 6.75 m in depth and is equipped with Dynamic Positioning-1 and Agni-1 Notation.

RDEL operates India's largest integrated shipbuilding facility in Gujarat.

(Image credits: indiatimes)