New Coast Guard vessel to be inducted on Wednesday

Thiruvananthapuram: The newly built Coast Guard vessel ICGS C-441 will be commissioned into the service on Wednesday at Vizhinjam Harbour.  

Chief Secretary Tom Jose will commission the ship in a ceremonial function. Inspector General Vijay D. Chafekar, PTM, TM, Commander Coast Guard Region (West), Mumbai will be present during the event.

ICGS C-441 is seventh interceptor vessel amongst the series designed and built indigenously by L & T Surat.  

It has an overall length of 27.8 metres, displacement 106 tonnes and a maximum speed of 45 knots (83 km/hr) and is equipped with twin diesel engines, twin water jet propulsion. She has the endurance of 500 NM at 25 knots of speed.  

The vessel also has infrared surveillance and is capable of operating in shallow waters as well as in deep seas. It can undertake diverse tasks such as close coast surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and helping boats and crafts in distress at sea.  

The vessel has a complement of one officer and 13 enrolled personnel specialised in various fields.

The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art communication, navigational equipment and with light, medium and heavy automatic machine gun onboard as the main armament.

The ICG will strengthen its presence by the construction of its jetty and commissioning of the airbase here.  The surface assets and aircraft will add on to the increasing berthing and parking facilities respectively.

The operation of airbase will also commence shortly, as ICG acquired land adjacent to the airport and the temporary operational facility has been leased from AAI.

The addition of this vessel into the inventory of Indian Coast Guard here is expected to enhance the security and safety of the southern part of the state and strengthen the coastal security apparatus of the nation.