Off shore patrol vessel 'Shaunak' commissioned

PANAJI: Indian Coast Guard today commissioned ' Shaunak', the fourth ship in the series of six off shore patrol vessels (OPV) in South Goa's Vasco.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu commissioned the ship in presence of senior Indian Coast Guard officials, including Director General Rajendra Singh.

"The 105-metre-long OPV has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Ltd and is fitted with the state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machineries," a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

The feature of the vessel includes 30 mm CRN naval gun, integrated bridge system, integrated machinery control system, power management system and high power external fire fighting system.

The ship is designed to carry one twin engine light helicopter and five high speed boats, including two quick reaction inflatable boats for swift boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol.

The spokesperson said that the ship is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to control oil spill at sea.

The ship on joining coast guard fleet will be based at Visakhapatnam and deploy extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance and other duties as enshrined in Coast Guard charter to safeguard the maritime interests of India.