Patrol vessel case: Raj Kiran commissioned

VISAKHAPATNAM: Raj Kiran, the third of a series of eight indigenously built In-shore Patrol Vessels, was commissioned for the east coast guard region in Visakhapatnam by the chief of eastern naval command (ENC), Vice-admiral Anil Chopra on Wednesday. Raj Kiran would be under the operational control of the commander of north-east coast guard region and would help in taking up various close coast operations such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and medical evacuation.
The 50-metre vessel commanded by Lieutenant commander Sumantho Roy with a crew of 5 officers and 30 sailors, features an integrated bridge management system, integrated machinery control system and an integrated gun mount with fire control system. The vessel which displaces 300 tonnes with a maximum speed of 34 knots and an endurance limit of 1500 nautical miles at an economical speed of 16 knots is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced navigational and communication equipment.
Vice-admiral Anil Chopra spoke on the occasion. He said the coast guard and Indian Navy were working together to secure the coastline of the country and Speaking on the role played by various stakeholders involved in maintaining coastal security, stressed on the need for building synergy between the stakeholders in coastline security.