SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Team Herald
VASCO: Vice Admiral B Siva Kumar, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, laid keel for the first next a offshore patrol vessel aat the Goa Shipyard Limited, Vasco on Friday.
GSL Chairman and Managing Director B K Upadhyay and other senior officials from Indian Navy and M/s Goa Shipyard Limited were also present.
The contracts for indigenous design and construction of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPV) were concluded on March 30 last year between Ministry of Defence and M/s Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), Vasco and M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata,a with seven ships to be constructedaby lead shipyard M/s GSL and four ships by Follow Shipyard M/s GRSE.
The NGOPVs will be utilised for performing missions such as anti-piracy, coastal defence and surveillance, search and rescue and protection of offshore assets. These ships will enable Indian Navy to maintain its combat capability to protect the economic and geopolitical interests of the nation in the Indian Ocean Region.
This is yet another significant milestone in Indian Navy's pursuit towards indigenous shipbuilding and is in consonance with 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India' initiatives of the nation.
