The Samarth-class offshore patrol vessel are a series of eleven offshore patrol vessels being built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard. The construction of Samarth class was motivated by a desire to triple the Coast Guard assets in the aftermath of 2008 Mumbai attacks. They are an improvement over the earlier Sankalp class, with a larger beam and more powerful engines.[5][6] The ships are being constructed in two batches—a batch of six ordered in May 2012 that was completed in December 2017 and a follow-on batch of five ordered in August 2016.
History
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Indian Government initiated a program to triple the Indian Coast Guard force, assets and infrastructure.[7] Thereafter in accordance with it a 'request for information' for acquisition of six offshore patrol vessels was issued by the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 2010.[8] After technical evaluation and commercial bids a contract worth $400 million or Rs. 1800 crore was signed with GSL on 9 May 2012 to build six vessels.[7]
On 14 May 2012 GSL did the first steel cutting in its shipyard,[9] and the keel-laying ceremony of the first of the new class of offshore patrol vessels was held at Vasco da Gama on 28 September 2012.[10][11] The second and third vessels were laid down 28 January and 11 October 2013, and the fourth on 9 January 2014.[12] The first vessel was commissioned on 10 November 2015 and all six will be commissioned by the end of 2017.[13]
In August 2016, a follow-on consisting of five patrol vessels was placed for INR 20 billion.[1] The follow-on vessels will have a greater indigenous content of 70% compared to the 62% of the previous batch.[14]
Sachet the first OPV was launched on 21 February 2019[15] and commissioned on 15 May 2020 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh by video conferencing.[16]
Sujeet the second OPV from the second batch was handed to Indian Coast Guard on 12 November 2020 and later commissioned on 15 December 2020.[2]
Sajag the third OPV was delivered ahead of time on 16 March 2021. The ship was commissioned by NSAAjit Doval on May 29, 2021.[17][18]
Sarthak was delivered ahead of schedule and was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard on 28 October, 2021.[19][20]
Saksham the last ship of the project was delivered ahead of schedule on 8 February, 2022. All 5 ships of the Fleet 2 were delivered ahead of schedule.[21]
Description
The class is 105 metres (344 ft 6 in) long with a displacement of 2,350 tonnes. Features include Integrated Bridge System, Integrated Machinery Control System, Power Management System and High Power External Fire Fighting System. They are designed to carry one twin engine Light Helicopter and five high speed boats including two Palfinger[22] QRIBs for fast boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol. The class is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to combat oil spill contamination at sea.[23]
Service history
On 17 July 2024, Indian Coast Guard carried out a rescue operation of the Indian Fishing Boat (IFB) Aashni. The boat with 11 crew and around 80 nautical miles from Kochi, Kerala faced heavy rain and challenging weather conditions. Due to loss of propulsion and flooding from a hull rupture close to the keel, the vessel was in a serious situation. A Dornier 228 surveillance aircraft of the ICG located the IFB on the night of 16 July 2024. ICGS Saksham, a Samarth-class OPV, was immediately diverted towards its location after receiving an order from the ICG District Headquarters No 4 (Kerala & Mahe). Eventually, ICGS Abhinav, an Aadesh-class patrol vessel, was also deployed aong with HAL Dhruv. The techinical team of ICG assisted in the de-flooding operations and rescued the crew members and the distressed the vessel. After the culmination of the operation, the boat was handed over to the Fisheries Department.[24]
On 19 July 2024, Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) Mumbai of ICG received distress call container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt 50 nm off Karwar about a major fire onboard. Immediately, ICGS Sahet, Sujeet and Samrat along with a Dornier and a ALH Dhruv were deployed by Coast Guard District HQ No 11 (Goa) for aerial surveillance operations. ICGS Samudra Prahari also provided support. As of 20 July, after 12 hours of effort, the fire in the front section of the ship was suppressed but the fire in the midship section was ablaze. ICG is preparing for the provision of Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) bags and balls to support firefighting operations.[25][26] As of 21 July, after 24 hours of distress call, the ship was 17 miles off Karwar and ICG was battling smoke and small fires onboard the container ship. ICG had decided to use DCP to douse the fire. One Filipino crew member died in the incident. The cause of the fire is expected to be a short circuit after which the fire spread to the cargo classified as International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) that was on board, according to a report. The ship was enroute from Mundra port, India to Colombo port, Sri Lanka.[27] On 22 July, ICG's Deputy Inspector General Bhatia confirmed that the fire is under control after using 150 kg of DCP bags from helicopters. There were no fire in the dangerous goods secrion of the ship. Small fires were still on, four vessels of ICG were near the ship and helicopters were taking routine visits. The ship was out of danger. No oil pollution is reported but adequate preparation has been taken Indian Coast Guard has asked Karnataka, Goa and Kerala to activate the pollution response mechanism.[28][29] By 30 July, Operation Sahayata was complete and a total of five ships, one Dornier and two Dhruv helicopters were deployed for the job. More than 1200 kgs of DCP was used. Infrared images confirmed that hotspots has reduced and smoldering was reduced to one small part of the ship. There were no more pollution risks and the ship was stable and operational.[30]
On 21 August 2024, ICGS Sujay made a port call with an integral helicopter in Jakarta, Indonesia for a two day visit.[31] On 4 September 2024, ICGS Sujay made another port call at Incheon, South Korea. The ICG officials will conduct professional interactions with the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) for topics like Marine Pollution Response, Maritime Search and Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement. The visit was a part of Indian Coast Guard's East Asia deployment and a MoU signed between ICG and KCG in 2006 for enhanced maritime cooperation.[32] On 18 September 204, ICGS Sujay reached Bali, Indonesia for a three-day visit. The formal discussions with Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (IMSA) during the visit will focus on Operational Turn Around, Marine Pollution Response, Maritime Search & Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement. The visit was a result of a MoU signed between ICG and BAKAMLA (IMSA) on 6 July 2020 to enhance maritime cooperation and institutionalised its cooperative engagements.. The crew in this deployment included 10 National Cadet Corps (NCC).[33]
^Mazumdar, Mrityunjoy (1 May 2012). "India's 20/20 vision: Coastguard joins the premier league". IHS Jane's Navy International. 117 (4). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISSN2048-3457.
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