Coast Guard commissions 4th patrol vessel Shaunak

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 (GSL) 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 firefighting 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 the 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. 

Work on the ICGN Shaunak had commenced on November 27, 2015 and the Coast Guard on Sunday received the fourth vessel, 62 days ahead of the schedule. 

The ship was handed over to DIG T Sashikumar TM Commanding Officer (YD 1221) by chairman and managing director of GSL, RAdm (retired) Shekhar Mital. GSL has built the four ships in just over 16 months.