Mangalore coast gets additional security

The Coast Guard in the Western sector received a boost with the arrival of a second hovercraft, H-198, at its Panambur headquarters near here today. Karnataka Coast Guard Commander Rajmani Sharma received the hovercraft, commanded by A Banarjee.

The hovercraft is fully armed with machine guns, state-of-the-art communication systems including navigation equipment, radar and global satellite communication facilities. Coast Guard officials said the hovercraft could operate in shallow waters where ships could not go and could also easily land on the shore. It was capable of undertaking multifarious tasks like surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats and crafts at sea.

The craft was capable of operation on isolated islands and marshy lands, they said. The craft operates by skimming over the surface of water using a cushion of air created by two propellers fitted on top of the craft.

It carries a crew of two officers and 11 sailors. The Coast Guard had acquired its first hovercraft, H-196, a fortnight ago. Both the hovercraft would be operational within a few weeks, Sharma said.