GRSE to assemble Rolls Royce naval engines

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Aiming to boost the "Make in India", Garden Reach Shipyard and Engineers (GRSE) and Rolls Royce have signed a pact for final assembly of naval engines in India, the company said on Friday.

"The 12V and 16V 4000 M90 type engines will be assembled in GRSE’s Diesel Engine Plant in Ranchi," Rolls Royce said.

"An option for the local production of parts in the future was also agreed. The engines have a rated power of 2,040 and 2,720 kW respectively and will be installed in various naval vessels built by GRSE," it added.

The agreement includes the transfer of MTU technology related to assembly, testing and painting.

Speaking on the agreement, Rear Admiral (retd) V.K. Saxena, Chairman and Managing Director at GRSE, said: "It is an important contribution to our indigenization programme in line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ strategy.

"We plan to take forward the partnership between GRSE and MTU partnership and to achieve 40 percent indigenous content progressively for MTU 4000 series engines."

GRSE, based in Kolkata, has an integral Diesel Engine Plant (DEP) in Ranchi which manufactures and diesel engines for ships, power sector and mining industries.

"India is one of the most important growth markets for MTU. MTU has demonstrated its commitment to India as a location for business and investment for many years through the Engineering and Research Centre and Global Purchasing Office based in Pune as well as earlier licence agreements with GRSE," Praveen Mohan, CEO, MTU India, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The new agreement will allow a far more complex assembly than done previously.

GRSE has constructed more than 700 vessels including Brahmaputra class frigates, Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette – Kamorta Class Ships and other coastal defence vessels.