Advanced and sophisticated sea pollution control ship 'Samudra Paheredar' was commissioned into the Indian Costal Guard fleet by Navy chief Nirmal Verma, on Friday at Gujarat's Hazira port near Surat. This is the second of the series of three Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs) being built by ABG Shipyard, Surat.
Primary task of Samudra Paheredar is to check pollution in the sea. However, this vessel is designed in an advanced way to handle various tasks for the sea front as well. The ship is equipped with the most advanced and sophisticated pollution response and control equipment for mitigating oil spills, which include containment equipment like hi-sprint booms and river booms, recovery devices like skimmers and side sweeping arms. The ship is capable of unhindered oil recovery operations with storage tank capacity of 500 KL in addition to inflatable barges.
The 95 meter long indigenous PCV displaces 4300 tonnes and can achieve top speed of 20.5 knots, with an endurance of 6500 nautical miles.
Chief Nirmal Verma said that the PCV would go a long way in addressing the critical requirement of capacity building in the area of pollution response. "Several far-reaching initiatives towards augmentation of manpower and force levels were underway that would provide the requisite fillip to the Coast Guard's capabilities," he added.
The others specialities of this vessel is that it is installed with modern Integrated Platform Management System and Power Management System, which makes it unique for unmanned machinery operations.
Meanwhile, it is also equipped with Dynamic Positioning System for fire fighting and pollution response operations and an infra-red surveillance system for night surveillance. The PCV is armed with a 30 mm CRN 91 Gun with fire control system and capable of operating one twin engine Chetak helicopter.
In addition to its designed role, the ship can be deployed for multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, Search & Rescue and medical evacuation.
