Two Inshore Patrol Vessels for Coast Guard

Jayasree Muralidharan, wife of ICG Director-General Vice Admiral M P Muralidharan, launched the two ships. ICG Director-General and GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral A K Verma, were present.

The vessels, bearing names with a regal splendour -- Rajdoot and Rajveer -- are the sixth and seventh in the series of the total eight IPVs built by GRSE for the Coast Guard.

Following fitment and sea trials, the vessels will be handed over to the ICG fleet. Of the five IPVs launched earlier, three have already been delivered to the ICG, this year.

"These two ships will certainly add, once they are completed and commissioned, to the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard," said Admiral Muralidharan after the ship launch.

He said these ships were capable of doing multifarious tasks such as search and rescue, interdiction of anybody who may have inimical interests besides coastal security including patrolling.

"There are now over a 100 surface platforms being built for the coast guard in various shipyards in our country both in the public as well as the private sector," he said, adding all these would add to the capabilities of the Coast Guard so that by 2018, Coast Guard would have about 150 surface platforms and about 100 aircraft.