One more Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) will be added to the Indian
Navy’s fleet of warships on Tuesday with the commissioning of INS
Sunayna, one of the largest Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels, at the
Southern Naval Command here. Vice Admiral Satish Soni,
Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, will formally commission
the vessel at the South Jetty of the Naval Base at 8 am.
The
105-metre vessel was handed over to the Indian Navy by the Goa Shipyard
Ltd (GSL) on September 2. The vessel will be primarily used by the Navy
for ocean surveillance and surface warfare operations to prevent
infiltration. “The vessel is suited for monitoring sea lines of
communication, defence of offshore oil installations and other critical
offshore national assets. The vessel can be deployed for escorting
high-value ships and fleet support operations,” a Defence statement
said.
INS Sunayna is one of the batch of four vessels which the
Goa Shipyard has been commissioned to build. Two other offshore patrol
vessels in the batch - INS Sumitra and INS Sumedha - are expected to be
handed over to the Navy in two years. The first in the series of NOPV -
INS Sarya - was handed over to the Indian Navy by Goa Shipyard in
December last year.
