Ship ‘Shaunak’ commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaunak, the fourth ship in the series of six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), was commissioned in Goa on tuesday by Suresh Prabhu [union railway minister]. The Ship Shaunak will be inducted in the fleet of the coast guard ships at Visakhapatnam in the coming days. Indian Coast Guard has a fleet of 127 vessels and another 85 at various stages of construction at different shipyards across the coast of the country. The commissioning of ICGS Shaunak would enhance the operational capability of the Indian Coast Guard to discharge multifarious maritime tasks. The ship is designed to carry a twin engine light helicopter and five high speed boats including two quick reaction inflatable boats for swift boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and also maritime patrol. This ship is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to handle the situation of oil spill at sea. The induction of a sophisticated OPV give’s a fillip to the maritime protection of country’s vast coastline of eastern seaboard in general with Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in particular. The 105 meters OPV was designed and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd and was installed with navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machineries. Its other features include 30 mm CRN 91 naval gun, integrated bridge system (IBS), integrated machinery control system (IMCS), power management system (PMS) and high power external firefighting system.