India launches 11th Sankalp-class vessel

India's 11th Sankalp-class OPV, seen here at its launch ceremony. (Goa Shipyard Limited)

India’s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has launched another 105 m improved Sankalp-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ordered for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

The vessel was launched on 14 November at GSL’s facilities in Goa. It will be the 11th vessel in the Sankalp class, which is referred to in India as the Samarth class after the programme’s third ship, which features a longer beam than its predecessors.

The OPV is part of a five-vessel, INR20 billion (USD275 million) contract approved by the Indian government in August 2016. This contract is also referred to in country as the Samarth-class Flight II project.

It is a follow-on contract to the six 105 m Batch II Sankalp-class OPVs, also referred to as the Samarth-class Flight I, which GSL signed for in January 2012.

The improved Sankalp class has an overall beam of 13.6 m, a draught of about 3.7 m, and displaces 2,450 tonnes at full load. The OPV is powered by two MTU 20V 8000 M71L diesel engines driving two controllable pitch propellers, and has a top speed of 23 kt and a standard range of 6,500 n miles (12,038 km) at 12 kt.

The vessel can accommodate a crew complement of 108, including 18 officers, and can embark one medium-sized helicopter, such as the HAL Dhruv, on its flight deck. Weapons on the vessel include a 30 mm CRN-91 close-range naval cannon in the primary position, and two 12.7 mm machine guns for point defence.