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Two interceptor boats C-150 and C-151 were commissioned here by Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra, Director General of Indian Coast Guard.
The boats, designed to perform a variety of roles including, surveillance, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations, will be based in Vizhinjam in Kerala and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
Endurance level
They are the eighth and ninth in the series of eleven Interceptor Boats (IBs) being built by ABG Shipyard, Surat and are fitted with modern navigational and communication equipment. The 28-metre ships have an endurance of 500 nautical miles and can achieve speeds up to 45 knots and are equipped with advanced navigational and communication equipment.
In addition to small arms, the boats are also fitted with 12.7 mm ‘Prahari' Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) to augment the vessels fire power. The aluminium-hulled vessels are propelled by water jets with the added advantage of shallow water operations and high speed.
Work horses
Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra termed the Interceptor Boats as the work horses of the Coast Guard. The Admiral also dwelt upon the fast-paced development of the Indian Coast Guard and acknowledged the Government of India's support for the Coast Guard's plans to increase force levels substantially and exponentially to face the emerging security challenges in the maritime domain.
As on date, the Coast Guard has a fleet of 75 ships and 45 aircraft. It will have 42 stations and 15 air units functioning at various locations along the coast by 2012. Further, a coastal surveillance network is being established with 46 stations in phase I and 38 more in phase II, to ensure real time coastal surveillance, he said.
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