Indian Navy commissions sixth of eight Mk IV landing craft

The Indian Navy (IN) commissioned its sixth of eight indigenously designed and built Mk IV landing craft utility (LCU) vessels in a ceremony held at Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on 29 July.

Named IN LCU L-56 , the 62.8 m vessel, which was developed and constructed by state-owned shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, has joined five other vessels of the class – L-51, L-52, L-53, L-54, L-55 – which entered service in March 2017, August 2017, April 2018, May 2018, and December 2018, respectively.

The IN commissioned its sixth of eight Mk IV LCUs in a ceremony held in Visakhapatnam on 29 July. (Indian Navy )

The remaining two LCUs of the class, all of which have been launched, are in advanced stages of construction in Kolkata.

Each vessel of the class has a crew of 50, including five officers, and is fitted with “state-of-the-art equipment and advanced systems” such as a locally designed integrated bridge system (IBS) and an integrated platform management system (IPMS), according to the IN.

Each of the vessels has a standard displacement of 830 tonnes and is capable of transporting up to 160 troops, armoured vehicles, and other military equipment such as containerised mission modules for amphibious and sealift operations.

Based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), these vessels will also be deployed for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions and limited search-and-rescue duties when required.

Each of the LCUs is powered by two German-built MTU 16V 4000 M53 diesel engines and can attain a top speed of 15 kt, with a standard range of 1,500 n miles (2,778 km) at 12 kt.