Gsl Handed Over Second Fast Patrol Vessel For Mauritius Government In Record Time
Indo-Mauritian Defence Co-operation got another fillip with the delivery of Second Fast Patrol Vessel, MCGS VALIANT (50 meter length), designed and built in-house by Goa Shipyard Limited for Mauritius Coast Guard, on 30th April 2017 at GSL. The ship was ceremonially handed over ahead of the contractual schedule by RAdm. Shekhar Mital, NM (Retd), CMD, Goa Shipyard Ltd to Mr. K. Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, Government of Mauritius in the distinguished presence of Mauritius Officials Capt Saurabh Thakur, Commandant, National Coast Guard, ASP O K Guness, Commanding Officer, CGS Valiant, Directors, Senior Officials of GSL besides other dignitaries.
RAdm Shekhar Mital, CMD, GSL Said, “Contract of the vessel was signed on 17 May 2014 and the keel of this vessel was laid on 22nd May 2015. The vessel was launched on 2nd February 2017 by Smt Ella Mital. We have successfully delivered this ship 4 months ahead of contractual schedule of Aug 2017, within 23 months of keel laying which is a record in itself, and is in line with the track record of GSL in recent times of timely deliveries and shows the dedication and commitment of all the stakeholders involved. ” CMD thanked Government of Mauritius, Ministry of Defence, State Government and local authorities for providing all the necessary assistance, which has enabled GSL to achieve new milestones in the performance.
Mr. K. Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, while addressing the gathering lauded the excellent work being done in the shipyard and complemented GSL for delivery of the state-of- the-art new ship for Mauritius force. He further complimented the GSL work force on their working skills and positive attitude, which is an example for others to emulate.
The vessel is primarily designed for Coastal Patrolling, Anti-piracy, Anti-smuggling, Anti-drug Surveillance, Anti-poaching Operations, and Search and Rescue Operations. The vessel is fitted with 30 mm CRN-91 Gun, 12.7 mm HMGs & 7.62 mm MMGs besides state-of-the-art Navigation and Communication equipment and is capable of achieving a high speed of 37.3 knots against contractual speed of 35 Knots.
GSL is largest exporter of ships from Indian subcontinent and is presently executing export orders worth Rs. 1200 Cr. GSL prides itself in timely delivery of ships at ‘fixed cost’ and enjoys very strong execution skills.
It is also significant that GSL in a parallel event launched 1000t Fuel barge, Being built for Indian Navy in collaboration with a private shipyard namely Timblo Shipyard.