Keel laying ceremony of the first NGOPV (ex-GSL) was held at M/s Goa Shipyard Ltd, Goa on Friday.
The ceremony was presided over by Vice Admiral B Siva Kumar, Controller Warship Production & Acquisition.
The contracts for indigenous design and construction of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPV) were concluded on 30 March between the Ministry of Defence and M/s Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) and M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, with seven ships to be constructed by Lead Shipyard M/s GSL and four by Follow Shipyard M/s GRSE.
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The NGOPVs will be utilised for performing missions such as Anti-Piracy, Coastal Defence & Surveillance, Search & Rescue and Protection of Offshore Assets.
These ships will enable the Indian Navy to maintain its combat capability to protect the economic and geopolitical interests of the nation in the Indian Ocean Region, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Saturday.
”This is yet another significant milestone in the Indian Navy’s pursuit towards indigenous shipbuilding and is in consonance with ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives of the nation,” the MoD added.
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