The first warship exported by India — Mauritius Coast Guard ship Barracuda, a multirole vessel that was built by the public sector shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, and delivered late last year — is in Kochi to train its aviation team in search and rescue operations.
The ship docked at the Navy’s south jetty here while on passage to Mauritius.
Barracuda was built following a contract between the governments of India and Mauritius, in line with India’s strategy of facilitating friendly maritime forces in the region to build capability and capacity to secure the seas of shared interest against untoward occurrences.
The ship has a mixed crew of 62 and is captained by Commander Rajneesh Kumar Dalal, an Indian Navy officer on deputation to the Mauritius government to assist its National Coast Guard in acquiring the skill sets necessary for operating complex vessels of this class.
MCG’s Assistant Superintendent of Police O.K. Guness is Barracuda’s executive officer. “The ship, result of the close cooperation between both governments, will be the largest vessel to be operated by the Mauritius Coast Guard on induction,” Cdr Dalal said during an interaction with the media.
Barracuda was built at a cost of Rs. 400 crore, under a credit-cum-grant scheme of the Government of India.
