New offshore patrol vessel built for Coast Guard launched

PANAJI: A 105-metre new generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), to help increase the Coast Guard's requirements for policing of the vast Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, was launched by the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) today.

The OPV, which will be delivered to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), is capable of other Coast Guard functions like search and rescue operations, pollution control, etc. and will be deployed for ocean surveillance and monitoring of sea lanes of communication, a GSL release said.

Besides, the vessel, equipped with one 30 mm gun and two 12.7 mm guns with associated fire control system, is also capable of supporting embarkation of indigenously designed Advanced Light Helicopter, it said.

The OPV was launched today by Priti Gupta, the wife of Special Secretary defence production (GoI) Ashok Kumar Gupta. GSL Chairman and MD Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital was also present on the occasion.

Special secretary Gupta said on this occasion that GSL had emerged as "Yard of Choice" for both Navy and ICG due to execution of projects on time.

Gupta also said that nearly 50 per cent of GSL's order book is from exports.

Rear Admiral Mital said, "The launch of third ship of the series in quick succession of one month is a validation of our capabilities... the first vessel will be ready for delivery as per schedule by October 15 and all six vessels will be delivered by 2017.

"We feel proud that our latest delivered ship INS Sumitra to Indian Navy was in the forefront and was the first ship to enter Aden/Yemen to evacuate our countrymen," he said.