Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions CGHS Varaha

Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varaha, the fourth in the series of seven Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that possess the capability to operate a twin engine ALH helicopter indigenously developed by HAL, was formally commissioned into service here on Wednesday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The patrol vessel, designed and developed by Larsen and Toubro at Kattupalli near here, will act as a force multiplier for the Indian Coast Guard.

The ship will give a much needed impetus to the ICG’s strength in responding to the threat from maritime terrorism, smuggling and challenges of maritime law enforcement.

The 98-meter OPV is fitted with the state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machineries besides possessing the capability to carry one twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats including two rigid hull inflatable boats for swift boarding operation and search and rescue mission.

The ship, on joining the Western Fleet of the ICG, will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance and other duties to safeguard the maritime interests of the country. ICGS Varaha is commanded by Commandant Dushyant Kumar and has complement of 14 officers and 89 men.

The ship is being based at New Mangalore, Karnataka, under the operational and administrative control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (West), officials said.

Speaking after commissioning the patrol vessel at the Chennai Port Trust here, Singh said that it was indeed reassuring to witness the growing strength of Indian Coast Guard and capabilities of Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding Ltd.

“The name 'Varaha' from puranas reminded of the principle of sacrifice and rescue at sea, saving mother Earth, restoring harmony and strength,” he said, adding that multitude of challenges from drug trafficking, oil spill incidents, collision grounding and the growing threat of maritime terrorism calls for cooperation on regional arrangements with various Maritime nations.

Some of the special features of the vessel include Integrated Bridge System, Automated power management system, high power external firefighting system, indigenously-built Integrated platform management system and Help Traversing System.

Singh said that the Coast Guard has entered into a memorandum of understanding with seven Maritime Nations for capacity building training collective and cooperative response to deal with maritime threats.