Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s leading engineering, manufacturing & construction major has received an order valued at `447 crores from the Ministry of Defence for the construction of 18 High Speed Interceptor Boats for the Indian Coast Guard. This follows the earlier contract, valued at ` 977 crores, for 36 similar vessels.
With this order, L&T is positioned as the foremost Indian shipyard in terms of capability to indigenously design and construct the largest number of Interceptor Boats for India’s Ministry of Defence. Designed and constructed by L&T entirely through in-house capability, the first of these boats has already been delivered to Indian Coast Guard.
The Interceptor Boat is a “planing craft”, capable of achieving speeds exceeding 40 Knots. Built with a full aluminium-alloy light-weight hull, it is powered by a twin water-jet propulsion system to enable quick response – crucial for coastal surveillance. These boats are expected to significantly enhance India’s coastal security.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 23, 2013