Mangalurur, May 14: Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vikram, the first in the class of seven new generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) arrived at its base port, the New Mangalore Port, on Sunday. The ship was contracted by the ministry of defence (MoD) in March 2015 under the government's 'Make in India' campaign. The ship is commanded by commandant Raj Kamal Sinha, who was staff officer to the director-general, Coast Guard before his current posting. The ship has 14 officers and 88 men onboard.

The ICGS Vikram was commissioned into service on April 11, by Indian Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre at Chennai at DefExpo. ICGS Vikram is the first in the class of seven new-generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T). Vikram is part of  $220 million contract awarded to Larsen & Toubro in March 2015 for seven vessels.

The vessel is 97m long, having width of 15m and 3.6 m draught. The OPV has 2,140 tonne displacement and a range of 5,000 NM. ICGS Vikram has a maximum speed of 26 knots. The vessel can accommodate a helicopter, on its flight deck to conduct its search-and-rescue operations and to enhance its maritime patrol capabilities.

The vessels are fitted with front propulsion pods for providing an ability of high manoeuvrability. American Bureau of Shipping, as well as Indian Registrar of Shipping, has certified the design and construction process. The entire process was looked after by the Indian Coast Guard’s resident team at Kattupalli.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2018 06:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).