Face of Nation : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS Varaha at a special function held at Chennai Port today. The ship is the fourth in the series of seven offshore patrol vessels of the Coast Guard. It will be based at New Mangalore in Karnataka under the Western Command.
The 98-metre offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varaha has been designed and constructed indigenously. It is equipped with 30- milimetre gun and has an integrated bridge system, platform management systems, automated power management system and high power external fire fighting system.
It is capable of carrying a twin-engine helicopter and four high speed boats for swift boarding, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrolling operations. It also carries pollution response equipment for handling incidents like oil spill at sea.
ICGS Varaha is propelled by two 9100-kilowatt diesel engines. It can attain a maximum speed of 26 knots and has endurance of 5000 nautical miles. The Indian Coast Guard has said in a statement that it will be deployed for the surveillance of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and to safeguard the maritime interests of the country.
