♦ India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Norway’s Kongsberg Oslo signed an MoU which paves the way for India to build its first ever Polar Research Vessel (PRV) indigenously.

♦ The MoU was signed in presence of Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal in Oslo, Norway on 3 June 2025.

♦ The PRV will be developed with design expertise from Kongsberg and constructed by GRSE in Kolkata.

♦ It will cater to the requirements of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), enabling scientific exploration in the polar and Southern Ocean regions.

♦ Equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, the vessel will support marine research, ecosystem studies, and contribute to global climate change efforts.

♦ India’s shipyards currently handle 11% of NSA’s global order book.

♦ Sonowal called for further expansion of these orders and encouraged recruitment from India’s seafaring workforce—ranked second in NSA’s fleet.