Advanced patrol vessel inducted into Coast Guard

PANAJI: Advanced offshore patrol vessel `Samrat', capable of operating Advanced Light Helicopter besides Sea King and Chetak helicopters, was today inducted into the Indian Coast Guard here.
    
The vessel, the sixth of its kind in the Coast Guard, has an endurance of 20 days and a reach of 6500 nm.
    
The traditions of the service stipulate that the launch of a Coast Guard ship be performed by a woman, and in keeping with it, Shushmita Dutt, wife of Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt, launched the vessel. The Defence Secretary was the chief guest on the occasion.
    
For specific missions, `Samrat' can carry two helicopters. It uses the latest technology for man-machine interface thus reducing the number of operators handling the
machinery and equipment.
    
The ship has a state-of-the-art integrated bridge system that provides the facility to integrate navigation, automatic identification, voyage data recorder, fire detection
and alarm system.
    
The infrared surveillance system to be installed onboard would enable the ship's crew to detect targets in the night that otherwise evade radar detection due to their small
size or higher sea state.
    
To keep a huge coastline of 7,516 km under constant surveillance, the government has placed acquisition orders for five fast patrol vessels, two advanced offshore patrol
vessels, three pollution control vessels, five inshore patrol vessels and 11 interceptor boats under the expansion plan.