By IANS,
New Delhi : India Friday inducted a brand new catamaran-based hydrography survey ship, the first of its kind in its navy.
The indigenously-built ship was formally commissioned in to the Indian Navy by Western Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha at the Karwar naval base on Karnataka’s coast on the Arabian Sea.
Christened INS Makar, the warship was built at the Gujarat-based Alcock Ashdown shipyard and is a statement of the Indian warship building industry’s potential.
“The warship is a catamaran hydrographic survey vessel and is the first of its kind to be inducted in the Indian Navy,” a navy spokesperson said here.
“The ship has enhanced Indian Navy’s already existing world-class sea and ocean survey capability,” he said.
The primary role of the ship is to undertake hydrographic surveys, required for production of nautical charts and publications aimed at improving navigational safety at sea.
The hydrographic surveys carried out at seas help in preparation of sea route charts that aid ships in navigating through waters closer to coasts.
INS Makar is equipped with an array of modern surveying equipment and it can also undertake limited oceanographic surveys towards providing marine environmental data.
The ship is propelled by four Cummins engines as well as two bow thrusters. The ship has two survey motor boats, the spokesperson said.
The entire propulsion, navigational and power management packages of the vessel are integrated in a single state-of-art integrated platform management system.
The ship’s impressive equipment outfit for hydrographic survey includes autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for closer investigations, advanced electronic positioning system, multi-beam swath sounding systems and sub-bottom profiler.
It also has a full range of latest oceanographic and land survey equipment.
The accommodation for the six officers and 44 sailors incorporates advanced ergonomic design and ensures crew comfort and space management.