Keel laid for new offshore patrol vessel for Indian Navy

Indian shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has laid the keel of the third in a planned class of four offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) ordered by the Indian Navy.

GRSE said the new vessels will boast greater endurance and firepower compared to the navy's earlier OPVs.

The completed OPV will have a length of 113 metres, a beam of 14.6 metres, a draught of four metres, a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, and space for 24 officers and 100 enlisted sailors. The propulsion system will deliver a maximum speed of 24 knots and a range of 8,500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 14 knots.

The vessel's shallow draught will enable it to operate in coastal as well as offshore waters.

The OPV's missions will include protection of offshore assets, maritime interdiction, surveillance, mine warfare, search and rescue, non-combatant evacuation, convoy escort, anti-piracy missions, counter-infiltration operations, counter-poaching patrols, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.