Kochi: The Cochin Shipyard, the Kerala-based central public sector shipbuilding company has received a new order from Europe. The yard will be manufacturing a hybrid vessel that will fall under the category of Service Operation Vessel (SOV) capable of operating in the ocean. The vessel will be stationed in the ocean and will be used for producing electricity with the help of winds blowing across the water body. The contract is worth Rs 500 crores. A demand for building another ship has also been stated in the contract.

The Cochin Shipyard claimed that the vessel which can be operated using electricity apart from diesel will help in lowering environmental pollution considerably.

The vessel is designed by Norway-based VARD AAS and will come in handy in operations, services, and repair works in the offshore energy production front. 

The vessel will be equipped with a hybrid electric propulsion system and three 1,300 ekW diesel generators. A gigantic lithium battery will be used in the vessel. This will potentially reduce the carbon footprints as well. The vessel with high-end security features and top-notch facilities will be able to accommodate a total of 54 technicians and other employees in its main cabin.      

Cochin Shipyard Scaling New Heights

The Cochin Shipyard which has been in prominence for the last two decades has so far manufactured over 50 modern ships for countries including the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and also for countries in the Middle East region.

Currently, the manufacturing of eight multiple-purpose vessels for a German company is progressing at the shipyard. Apart from this, the yard has also received orders for building submarine warships and modern missile vessels.