The seventh offshore patrol vessel (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Vigraha was formally unveiled at Kattupalli, Chennai on 6 October. The vessel, built by Larsen and Toubro, is the last in the series of seven OPVs contracted to the company by the Ministry of Defence in 2015. It was for the first time a private sector shipyard had undertaken the design and construction of offshore patrol vessel class of ships.
OPVs are long range surface ships, capable of operating in maritime zones of the country including island territories with helicopter operation capabilities. The OPV is 98m long, 15m wide, has 3.6m draught, 2140 tonnes displacement and a range of 5,000 nm. It can attain a sustained speed of up to 26 knots.
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Some of the roles undertaken by the OPVs include coastal and offshore patrol, policing maritime zones of the country, surveillance, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations.
The vessel will be inducted into the Coast Guard after completion of extensive trials and testing for the equipment and machinery.
Larsen and Toubro has already designed and built ICGS Vikram, ICGS Vijaya, ICGS Veera, ICGS Varaha, ICGS Varad and ICGS Vajra.
ICGS Kanaklata Barua Commissioned
Earlier, on 30 September, Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Kanaklata Barua of the Indian Coast Guard was commissioned at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The FPV was delivered to the Indian Coast Guard on June 9.
FPVs are medium-range surface vessels with a length of 50m, width of 7.5m and displacement of around 308 tonnes. Its powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are designed to perform multipurpose operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations.
The vessels are designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nm. It is equipped with three main engines. The entire design of the FPVs has been developed in-house by GRSE as per requirements specified by the Indian Coast Guard.
Coastal Security Exercise
A two-day coastal security exercise, named ‘Sagar Kavach,’ was conducted by the Indian Navy, along with Indian Coast Guard and concluded on 8 October.
Coastal police, coastal district administration, Cochin Port, fisheries department, Customs, Marine Enforcement Wing, Central Industrial Security force (CISF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Light House department and members of fishermen community participated in the exercise. More than 20 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard as well as 50 patrol craft manned by various security agencies participated in the exercise.
