India hands over fast patrol vessel to Mauritius

India today handed over to Mauritius a fast patrol vessel, designed and built in-house by Goa Shipyard Limited, which will be used for coastal patrolling, anti-piracy and anti-smuggling besides search and rescue operations.
The contract of the vessel was signed on May 17, 2014 and the keel of this vessel was laid on December 18, 2014.
Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (Retd), CMD, GSL said that despite all the challenges, including delay of over six months in supply of steel and being the first ship of the series, they have successfully delivered this ship as per contractual schedule of September this year, within 20 months of keel laying which is a record in itself.

The vessel is fitted with 30 mm CRN-91 Gun, 12.7 mm HMGs, 7.62 mm MMGs besides state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment and is capable of achieving a high speed of 35 knots, an official statement said.
Significantly, trials were undertaken in peak monsoon months and the vessel achieved all design parameters.
GSL is the largest exporter of ships from the Indian subcontinent and is presently executing export orders worth Rs 1,200 crore.