Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Veera’, the third in the series of new generation Off-shore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) reached its base port here, on Thursday.
Salient features
Commanded by Commandant G.D. Raturi with a compliment of 12 officers and 91 crew members, ‘Veera’ would be under the administrative and operational command of Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (East) in Chennai. On its arrival to Vizag, a ceremonial reception was extended.
Equipped with ultra-modern navigation and communication systems, the vessel is the third in the series of the seven ships being built indigenously by Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding as part of the contract it had signed with the Union Ministry of Defence in March 2015.
The vessel is approximately 97m long, 15m wide, has 3.6m draught, 2,140 T displacement and a range of 5,000 nautical miles. It can attain a sustained a top speed of up to 26 knots. The OPV is built with Integrated Platform Management System to enable special control capabilities which is generally integrated with larger warships such as Frigates and Destroyers.
The vessel is fitted with front propulsion pods to ensure high manoeuvrability. It is a long-range surface platform, capable of operation in maritime zones of India, including island territories and equipped to handle helicopter operations.
Patrolling and surveillance
The OPV will be deployed for coastal and offshore patrolling, policing maritime zones of India, control & surveillance, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations with limited wartime roles.
