Andaman and Nicobar Coast Guard gets Interceptor boat

Port Blair, Dec 06 (UNI) The long felt need to have a high speed Interceptor Boat at Campbell Bay, the furthermost end of Indian Territory, for undertaking Coast Guard mandated duties in and around Nicobar groups of islands has materialized today with the arrival of ICGS C-140 to Port Blair from Goa where it was based earlier.

Traversing a distance of 1560 nautical miles over 15 days under its own power, this Coast Guard ship has already established its ability to sustain for long days at sea and to interdict any craft engaged in illegal activity in our EEZ, Commandant Akshay Jain, the Public Relations Officer of Andaman and Nicobar Coast Guard Region, told 'UNI' today.

ICGS C-140 commanded by Asst Comdt S Siva Prasad was welcomed by IG S P Sharma, TM, Commander Coast Guard Region (A&N), officers and men of Coast Guard at CG Jetty on its arrival yesterday evening.

The officers and men of the ship despite few days of passage through rough seas appeared cheerful and full of enthusiasm to undertake its duties at its new base port. The ship was commissioned in Nov 2003 and has a complement of one officer and ten men, Jain added.

The ship has high speed and agility to reach emergency situation quickly, and because of these sea going qualities, the ship is very useful in hot pursuits.

"These class of ships have been successfully used in augmenting the coastal patrolling off Gujarat coast in the west and in Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar in the East. These ships, though small, also assist bigger Coast Guard ships in combating oil pollution at sea," the Coast Guard Commandant added.

UNI