Pics: Daya Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SB)
Mangaluru, Feb 1: Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd. (BDIL) handed over Vessel V-410, an interceptor boat to the Coast Guard here on Wednesday, January 31.
Launching the boat commander of Coast Guard Karnataka, S S Dasilla said, "We are happy to receive this new boat constructed by BDIL. This boat which was on paper a few years ago was ready on time due to the efforts of chief operating officer of BDIL, Mangaluru, Narendra Kumar. I am thankful to BDIL management and its staff. I also congratulate our Coast Guard unit which will use it. This boat will be an asset for us. Launching this boat shows how eager we are to strengthen our force."
Chief operating officer of BDIL Narendra Kumar said, “Despite many financial issues, we showed how much committed we are in delivering an assigned project. Our employees had dedicated their efforts for this project to succeed. We were even sometimes unable to pay them on time, but they never lost faith in us. I thank all my engineers and staff who have worked for this project. Good times are here for BDIL as we have received an order of Rs 500 crore for construction boats and a ship from Indian Navy. We would be constructing more boats in this shipyard itself. We will hand over another boat to the Coast Guard in the month of June this year.”
Deputy inspector-general and superintendent, Coast Guard Refit and Production team, Atul Parlikar, R S Monga of Coast Guard, president and head of BDIL Mangaluru Pavithran Alokkan and Mahesh M N of BDIL were present.
The contract for the construction of 15 interceptor boats, for the Indian Coast Guard was signed on March 4, 2009. BDIL have delivered five interceptor boats till date. The last vessel was delivered in November 2017 at Mangaluru. These boats can achieve speeds of over 35 knots and would be very effective in anti-smuggling, anti-piracy operations and also in fisheries protection and monitoring. These vessels can also provide communication link and escort convoys, hostilities and wartime.
The boat is named as Charlie 162 and will be officially delivered to the Coast Guard by February 20. Worth Rs 25 crore, the boat is expected to be stationed in Kochi.
The boat is propelled by Arneson Surface Drive(ASD)and powered by two main engines, each of capacity 1650 kW and is built to the classification requirements of the Indian Register of Shipping besides the stringent standards of the Indian Coast Guard.