Two Water Jet Propelled Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) of the Navy – INS Cankarso and INS Kondul – will be commissioned here on Tuesday by Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan.
According to a spokesman of the Eastern Naval Command here, Yard 2061 (Cankarso) and Yard 2062 (Kondul) were formally handed over to the Navy in May 2010 by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata. The ships are the fifth and sixth of the Car Nicobar class Fast Attack Craft.
Seen as ideal replacements for the erstwhile Seaward Defence Boats (SDBs), these ships bear testimony to the Navy's commitment to indigenisation. Conceived, designed and built indigenously at the GRSE, these small yet highly manoeuvrable craft are ideally suited for their intended deployment along the coast.
Maritime security
A large number of initiatives were launched in the recent past to enhance maritime security, including coastal and offshore defence, the spokesman said. These include augmenting the existing numbers and the technology of the patrol craft.
The safe operability of the new WJFACs in shallow waters and at high speeds, and their day-night surveillance capability, coupled with enhanced fire power, is expected to give a tremendous boost to combating asymmetric threats emanating from the sea and further enhance the coastal security.
Named after the pristine island located in the Nicobar group, INS Kondul is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Shashidhar R. Patil. INS Cankarso, named after an island off Goa, has Lieutenant Commander Arun Bahuguna at the helm.
The ships, measuring close to 50 metres in length and displacing 325 tonnes, can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. They have a complement of four officers and 45 sailors.
To be based at Goa
Built for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol, with advanced MTU engines and latest communication sets, they will be based at Goa and operate under the Flag Officer Goa Area towards further augmenting the surveillance along the West Coast.
