The second Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS ‘ABHEEK’ of the Indian Coast Guard, built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), was commissioned into service on December 31.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by Director General of the Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, AVSM, Cmde K Subramaniam, Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard and other senior officials and guests.
The Indian Coast Guard signed the contract for the construction of 20 FPVs on the 20th October 2010. The first FPV was commissioned on 13 December 2013, the last vessel being slated for delivery in 2017.
These 50 metre x 7.6 metre x 4.65 metre vessels have a designed speed of 33 knots. In order to reduce the ships’ weight, the yard chose to build the superstructure with aluminum, which was the first time that CSL used aluminum to build ships.
The ship has dual class provided by ABS and IRS and is propelled by water jets and powered by three main engines with 2720 KW capacity each.
The ships have been designed by M/s SEDS, a company operating from Kochi. This is the first collaboration between CSL and a local design house.
They are intended for anti- smuggling, anti- piracy operations along with fisheries protection and monitoring. The ships can also provide escort services.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 2, 2014; Image: CSL