Interceptor boat from India arrives |14 January 2016

A fast interceptor boat that India had promised to Seychelles arrived in the country yesterday and will be formally handed over to the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) on January 21.

The boat was escorted to Port Victoria by the Indian Coast Guard Ship Samarth, the firstof its series, which will be on a week-long visit to Seychelles.

Indian Coast Guard director general, Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht, will be visiting Seychelles for the hand-over ceremony.

The gifting of the fast interceptor boat to Seychelles was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the State visit of President James Michel to India in August 2015.

The interceptor boat is 27.5 metres long with a displacement of 140 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots.

It has full aluminium-alloy hull for reduced weight and is powered by twin water-jet propulsion systems to enable quick response.

Fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, the vessel is powered by two Caterpillar marine power systems 3516C marine propulsion engines and two C-4.4 auxiliary generator sets.

Designed to be manned by a crew of one officer and eleven personnel, the vessel is fully capable to perform coastal surveillance, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations and can also operate effectively in shallow water.

The interceptor boat presently commanded by Deputy Commandant Anuj Nerwal is carrying a crew of 16 personnel including three officers and two personnel of the SCG, who over the past three weeks have undergone specialised training onboard the vessel in India and accompanied the boat on its sea voyage to Seychelles.

The Samarth, which escorted the interceptor boat to Seychelles, is a 105-metre long offshore patrol vessel (OPV) which was recently commissioned at Goa by the Defence Minister of India in November 2015.

The ship has been designed and built indigenously by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited and is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machineries.

It is designed to carry one twin engine light helicopter and five high speed boats for search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol at sea.

The ship has a total displacement of 2457 tonnes and is propelled by two 9100 KW diesel engines to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots.

The visiting ship is under the command of Deputy Inspector General Rakesh Pal. With a complement of nine officers and 91 men on deck trained in varied disciplines, the ship is capable of taking challenges under any condition to answer the call of duty and beyond.

The ship has been a part of operations including security/anti-piracy patrol and coastal security exercises since its commissioning.