The keel laying ceremony of the 2 Pollution Control Vessels being constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the Indian Coast Guard was held at Goa Shipyard Ltd on November 21, 2022. VS Pathania PTM, TM, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, presided over the event and laid the keels for the 2 PCV project.
According to Nikhil Wagh, Public Relations Officer of GSL, Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, CMD GSL, briefed the director general of the Indian Coast Guard on the progress of the construction and design of these vessels, which have been fully undertaken in-house by the GSL design team.
These vessels, especially mandated for a response to pollution and which have been designed for the first time in India, will also have significant indigenous content; a commendable feat considering the government’s push for Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat Vision.
This prestigious contract was bagged by GSL through competitive bidding which had both public as well as private shipyards participating.
Further, the physical construction of the vessels commenced with the steel plate cutting ceremony, which was held on Feb 22, 2022. The plate cutting was held at the hands of Inspector General Paramesh Sivamani, Commander Coast Guard Region (West), Mumbai.
The primary role of the Pollution Control Vessels is to carry out dedicated oil spill response operations in the vast EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of our country and also around the various neighbouring islands.
“Responding to marine pollution is a highly technical task requiring specialised and dedicated equipment, and these vessels are fitted with state-of-the-art pollution control and response facilities,” Wagh said.
The vessel, which has been fully designed by the GSL design team, will have an overall length of 114.5 metres, a breadth of 16.5 metres and a draft of 4.5 metres and is capable of carrying 129 personnel on board (14 officers and 115 sailors).
The maximum speed of the vessel will be 22 knots with an endurance of 6000 nautical miles.
The vessel will be equipped with 4 sets of ocean boom, 5 sets of near shore boom, 8 skimmers and 5 recovery oil stowage portable barges for pollution control equipment.
In keeping with the continuing tradition of on-time deliveries by GSL, these vessels are also envisaged to be delivered on the contractual schedule.
Meanwhile on November 21, 2022, another significant feat was achieved by GSL with the plate cutting for the 8 Fast Patrol Vessels project, which was held at the hands of Indian Coast Guard's Inspector General Dev Raj Sharma PTM, TM, Deputy Director General (M&M) at GSL.
The contract for 8 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard was signed on March 28, 2022. These FPVs, specially designed by GSL for the Coast Guard, are medium-range weapon-fitted surface vessels, capable of operation in coastal waters and around island territories to protect offshore assets in and around Indian waters.
Each ship will be equipped with 2 diesel engines of approximately 2880 KW (IMO Tier II compliant type-approved engine). The plate cutting ceremony marks the physical construction of these vessels, which are scheduled to be delivered by 2024 onwards.