Indian Coast Guard takes delivery of another Sankalp-class OPV

A Sankalp-class OPV, ICGS Samarth . Its sister ship, ICGS Sarthak, was handed over to the Indian Coast Guard on 30 September. (Indian Coast Guard)

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has taken delivery of another Sankalp-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV).

The vessel, ICGS Sarthak with pennant no 21, was handed over by its builder Goa Shipyard on 30 September.

It is the fourth vessel in Batch III of the Sankalp class, the contract for which was awarded in August 2016. The vessel was laid down on 10 November 2018 and launched on 13 August 2020.

The vessel has a displacement of 2,457 tonnes with a length of 105 m, beam of 13.6 m, and draught of 3.65 m.

The vessel is powered by two 24,406 hp (18.2 MW) MTU 20V 8000 M71L diesel engines , is equipped with two shafts, and has a maximum speed of 24 kt. It is manned by a crew of 112 personnel, and has a range of 6,500 n miles at 13.8 kt.

The navigation and surveillance suite comprises one Sperry Marine E/F/I-band and a Sperry Marine S-band radars. Based on the weapons fit of its sister ships, the vessel is expected to be fitted with one Bofors 40 mm/60 main gun and two 12.7 mm stabilised remote-controlled machine guns for point defence.

The OPV has a helicopter deck that can accommodate a 6.8-tonne helicopter such as the Dhruv Mk III Advanced Light Helicopter for maritime patrol and search-and-rescue (SAR) roles. The ship can also carry two rigid hull inflatable boats.

The vessel will be deployed primarily for maritime patrol, SAR operations, pollution control response, and at-sea firefighting duties.