GRSE launches two modern warships for Indian Navy

Kolkata, Jul 16 (UNI) The Garden Reach Shipbuilders &Engineers Ltd (GRSE) today launched two state-of-the-art '' Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts'' warships, armed with almost 90 per cent indigenous technology, which were commissioned by the Indian Navy, .

The warships, christened INS Cinque and INS Cheriyam-- after the islands of Andaman&Nicobar (A&N) and Lakshadweep respectively, were flagged off from the GRSE's newly acquired Raja Bagan Dockyard here, by Ms Roop Randhawa, wife of Vice-Admiral B S Randhawa of the Indian Navy. The vessels are the third and fourth of a series of ten warships ordered by the navies.

Mr Randhawa later told newspersons that the warships, effective in patrolling on shallow waters, would be deployed around the A&N Islands and the bordering seas around Sri Lanka. The vessels, armed with latest radars and gun turret, have a service life of around 20 years. According to him, the ships would be operational by the March-end.

GRSE CMD Rear Admiral K C Sekhar informed that each ship entailed a production cost of Rs 50 crore, adding that the keels of the ships were laid in August 2007. '' This is the first launch of warships from Raja Bagan Dockyard after it was acquired by the public sector unit in July 2006,'' Mr Sekhar said.

According to him, the ships are propelled by water-jets, powered by three latest generation MTU 4,000 series diesel engines, which serve as a coast effective platform for patroling and rescue operations. The combined performance of the engines generate 8160 kW, capable of driving the ships above a speed of 35 knots.

''With orders worth Rs 4,000 crore lining up for the next four-five years before the GRSE, the Indian Navy has commissioned us another four anti-submarine warfare korvetts,'' Mr Shekhar said.

Earlier, the first and second ship of the series, INS Car Nicobar and INS Chetlat, launched by the public sector unit in the last week of November 2007, were in fitting-out stage and scheduled to be delivered in November next, the CMD added.

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