V-409: Indian Coast Guard’s interceptor boat launched

Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) new interceptor boat V-409 was launched in Mangaluru, Karnataka by Bharathi Defence and Infrastructure Limited (BDIL). The vessel will be inducted into service by mid-October 2017 to give boost to coastal security and national security.

V-409 interceptor boat

The V-409 interceptor boat has length of 28 meters, beam of 6 meters and draught of 1.2 meters. It has aluminium hull. It has Articulate Surface Piercing Propulsion, also called as Arneson Surface Drives (ASD) which is powered by twin MTU Caterpillar marine diesel engines having a capacity of 1630 kW each. These engines enable boat to attain a maximum speed of more than 35 knots.
The vessel has the capability of attaining a very high speed in a very short duration and can operate in shallow waters. The vessels can perform high-speed interception, close-coast patrol, low-intensity maritime operations, search-and-rescue (SAR) and surveillance. The boat has complement of one officer and 12 sailors.

Background

BDIL is constructing 20 vessels for ICG of which six had already been handed over and the remaining vessels would be handed over on the projected time. The boats are being constructed as per Rs. 2.81 billion contract signed between Ministry of Defence and BDIL in March 2009. The remaining vessels will be handed over on the projected time.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2017