Last in the series of Five Pontoons, indigenously designed and being built by Goa Shipyard Ltd for the Indian Navy’s prestigious Aircraft Carrier INS VIKRAMADITYA, left GSL on 21 Feb 2013, more than two months ahead of delivery schedule.
The pontoons are intended for mooring and berthing the 40,000 ton Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya on a jetty and for providing services alongside the aircraft carrier.
Significantly, GSL had bagged the order for design and construction of the five special purpose Pontoons from Indian Navy against stiff open competition from private players and the contract for the same was signed between GSL and the Indian Navy on June 2011. GSL has already completed delivery of four pontoons to Indian Navy ahead of schedule. Two pontoons have been delivered at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai while the balance two at Naval Base, Karwar. With receipt of the Service Barge pontoon at Mumbai, the Indian Navy would be ready to receive the prestigious Vikramaditya.
The 40 mt pontoons are non self propelled craft designed to serve as spacers between the berthing structure and the aircraft carrier to absorb the high energy of the Aircraft carrier as she comes alongside the pier. They have been designed to be efficiently towed at sea with a streamlined hull form. The delivery marks a small but nonetheless yet another milestone in GSL’s contribution to indigenous defence preparedness at economical cost, with on time delivery and meeting the customers’ qualitative requirements.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, February 25, 2013; Image: Goa Shipyard