INS Sumitra, a new generation Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), will be formally commissioned by Admiral R. K. Dhowan, Chief of Naval Staff in Chennai on Thursday.
The state-of-the-art, warship, on commissioning will join Eastern Naval Command at Chennai for the nation’s maritime surveillance and coastal security.
INS Sumitra is Indian Navy’s largest OPV, the fourth in its class and built on in-house design of GSL. The ship is fitted with most sophisticated weapons, guns, heavy calibre SRGM, rapid fire Russian AK630 guns, chaff launchers Kavach, EW system Sanket and various other electronic sensors.
Ship is ready for its intentional role in war and peace, said an official spokesperson of GSL on Tuesday in Panaji. Further, the ship has been built at ‘fixed cost’ in scheduled time by the GSL, he added.
He said the vessel will help meet the increasing requirements of the Indian Navy for undertaking ocean surveillance and surface warfare operations in order to prevent infiltration and transgression of maritime sovereignty and is suitable for monitoring sea lanes of communication, defence of offshore oil installations and other critical offshore national assets.
Four NOPVs were contracted to GSL.
Three of them - INS Saryu, INS Sunayna and INS Sumedha - were earlier handed over to the Indian Navy by GSL on December 21, 2012; September 2, 2013; and January 14 this year respectively.
“With the huge investment deployed in the modernization of the Yard’s infrastructure, GSL now look forward to new orders from the Indian Navy, in particular the MCMV project, for which dedicated infrastructural capacity has been set up at GSL and which will provide major push to Naval mine sweeping capabilities,” said Chairman and Managing Director of GSL Shekhar Mital.
