BDIL launches second of five interceptor boats for Coast Guard from Panambur shipyard

MANGALURU:

Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd

(BDIL) on Wednesday launched vessel V-410, an

interceptor boat

that is all set be commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard as

ICG 162

at Kochi later in February. This is the second such interceptor boat that BDIL has launched at its

Panambur shipyard

for the Indian Coast Guard after the launch of V-409 in November and will be followed by launch of three more interceptor boats for the maritime force in the near future.

While interceptor boat V-409, rechristened IGC 161 is stationed at Vadinar in Gujarat, ICG 162 will be stationed at Kochi after its commissioning ceremony. BDIL that is contracted to construct 15 interceptor boats for Indian Coast Guard thus far has delivered five boats – four from its Goa shipyard and one from its yard here. Post commissioning, Deputy Commandant Pawan Koyar will be the commanding officer of ICG 162. This is his first independent command.

As per Indian Coast Guard tradition, Shilpa Koyar, wife of Pawan broke the first coconut on the frame that held V-410 followed by senior officers of Coast Guard that included Deputy-Inspector General’s Surendra Singh Dasila, commander, Coast Guard Karnataka, Atul Parlikar, Coast Guard Refit Production Superintendent, Mumbai, senior management of BDIL led by Narendra Kumar, COO, Pavithran Alokan, president and head – shipyard, BDIL, Mangaluru.

Narendra Kumar told reporters that V-410 be delivered to Coast Guard by February 20. The interceptor boat, propelled by Arneson Surface Drive is powered by two main engines, each of 1650kW capacity, built to classification requirements of the Indian Register of Shipping and stringent standards of Coast Guard. BDIL is also constructing five fast speed boats with water jet propulsion for Coast Guard and several auxiliary vessels for the Indian Navy.

Thanking the ministry of defence (MoD) for keeping BDIL that is presently under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Narendra said BDIL presently has orders worth Rs 500 crore from MOD. Left with no work from 2014 to 2017, Narendra said the MoD orders has put BDIL on path of revival. BDIL has built and delivered around 270 ships to both Indian and foreign customers in the past, he noted.