The Indian Navy commissioned a new hydrographic survey ship into service in a ceremony in Kolkata on Thursday, December 19.
INS Nirdeshak is the second of a planned four Sandhayak-class hydrographic survey ships ordered by the Indian Navy from Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) of Kolkata. Class lead ship INS Sandhayak was commissioned in February of this year.
The Sandhayak-class survey ships were designed jointly by GRSE and the Indian Navy's own Warship Design Bureau with greater capabilities compared to a similarly named class of locally built hydrographic survey ships operated by the navy since 1981. Also, because of their greater dimensions, the newer Sandhayak-class ships are the largest survey vessels ever built in India.
As with their predecessors, the newer Sandhayak-class ships' primary roles include deep-water surveys of ports, coastal areas and navigational channels and collection of oceanographic and geophysical data in support of the activities of the Indian Ministry of Defence and civil agencies. The vessels will also be equipped to perform marine research and search and rescue (SAR) and to operate as a hospital ship during wartime and in the event of disasters.
Nirdeshak has a length of 110 metres, a beam of 16 metres, a displacement of 3,300 tonnes, and space for 231 crewmembers as well as unmanned craft such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). In addition to the unmanned vehicles, multibeam echosounders and a data acquisition and processing system are fitted for survey work.
Other sensors include a GPS and a side-scan sonar.
Although designed for non-combat roles, the survey vessel is fitted with a CRN-91 30mm naval gun for self-defence. An aft flight deck and a hangar can meanwhile accommodate a light utility helicopter.