To increase surveillance around coastal water regions across the country, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned two hovercraft, the 'H-188' and 'H-189'.
Designed and built by UK-based Griffon Hoverworks, the air-cushioned vessels (ACV) measure 21 metres in length and displace 31 tonnes, with a maximum speed of 45 knots.
Griffon won the £34 million (USD55 million) contract to supply twelve 8000TD hovercraft to the Indian Coast Guard in August 2010.
"The ACV is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/craft in distress at sea," said the Indian Coast Guard in a statement.
The ACV 'H-188' vessel, the second in the series of twelve air cushion vehicles (ACVs), was commissioned by Deputy Director General of Coast Guard, Inspector General Rajendra Singh at Haldia in West Bengal on December 12, 2012.
The 'H-189', the third in the series of twelve, was commissioned at Mumbai on November 20, 2012 by Vice Admiral SK Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
With the commissioning of the 'H-188', the ICG fleet has expanded to 77 ships and boats. With the planned inductions and new buildings taken into account, this force level is set to double by 2018.
The 'H-188' will be based at Haldia under the Administrative and Operational Control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (North-East). The 'H-189' will be based at Okha under the administrative and operational control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (North-West).
"The 8000TD is a popular craft for coastguard operations as it can be configured to carry passengers, vehicles and equipment for disaster relief or medical evacuation. At 21.3 metres in length and with a payload of eight tonnes, the craft can reach speeds of 45 knots and is powered by two Iveco diesel engines," Griffin Hovercraft said in a statement.
The ICG is already operating six 8000TDs, which were acquired in 2001 under a deal for two ACV new buildings in the UK and four at Garden Ship Building Yard in Kolkata.
The 'H-188' craft is commanded by Commandant D Dinakaran and the 'H-189' is commanded by Commandant Yogesh Dutta. Both hovercraft have a crew of two officers and 11 enrolled personnel.
Jagdish Kumar
