KOCHI: Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has signed a contract with Heritage River Journeys Pvt Ltd for the construction of two luxury river cruise vessels to be operated on the Brahmaputra River. The vessels will be built at CSL’s Hooghly unit in West Bengal.
The Hooghly unit, formerly known as Hooghly Dock and Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL), was acquired by CSL in October 2017. Established in 1819, HDPEL has a long and distinguished legacy in shipbuilding on India’s eastern coast.
The new vessels will be operated by Heritage River Journeys under the brand name Antara River Cruises—one of India’s leading luxury river cruise operators. Antara is renowned for its bespoke voyages along the Ganga, Padma, and Brahmaputra rivers. Its flagship vessel, Ganga Vilas, is celebrated as the world’s longest river cruise, spanning more than 3,200 km and traversing 27 rivers, including the Gangetic plains, the Sundarbans, and the Brahmaputra Valley.
The agreement for the construction of the first vessel and a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the second were signed by Hooghly CSL CEO Sanil Peter and Antara River Cruises Chairman Raj Singh, in the presence of CSL Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S. Nair.