NSA Ajit Doval commissions Indian Coast Guard's offshore vessel 'Sajag'

In a low-key ceremony, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 'Sajag' was commissioned by National Security visor Ajit Doval on Saturday. commissioning ceremony of OPV constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited was attended by Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar, Indian Coast Guard Director General K Natarajan and CMD Goa shipyard Cmde BB Nagpal (Retd) were among ors.

Doval in his dress reminisced  forming of ICG. He said, " ICG came into being post-1971 war when it was assessed that maritime borders are equally vital as land borders. blueprint for a multi-dimension Coast Guard was conceived by visionary Rustamji Committee even as United Nations Convention of Laws of Sea (UNCLOS) was being negotiated and India’s assets off Mumbai high were growing. ICG, which was created through an Act of Parliament in 1978, has traversed a long journey in last four deces."

He n went on to commend Goa shipyard for indigenously developing ships like Sajag for Maritime Armed forces on time with state-of--art machinery and latest technology sensors and equipment that will enable ICG to undertake varied charter of duties within and beyond Indian Ocean Region (IOR). reafter, he went to highlight that he was impressed to witness ICG OPV Sajag, which was looking magnificent during commissioning ceremony. 

Doval's dress was followed by dress of Director General K Natarajan, in which he briefed NSA about massive firefighting operation being undertaken by ICG. 

Sajag-All you need to know 

As per information provided by ICG, this state-of--art ship has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited and is fitted with vanced technology, navigation and communication equipment, sensors, and machinery. vessel is fitted with a 40/60 Bofors gun and two 12.7 mm SRCG guns with FCS. ship is also equipped with an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), Power Management System (PMS), and High Power External firefighting (EFF) system.

ship is designed to carry one twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats including two inflatable boats for boarding operation, Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, and Maritime Patrol. ship is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to contain oil spills at sea.

" ship displaces approximately 2350 tons (GRT) and is propelled by two 9100 KW diesel engines to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots. She has an endurance of 6000 nm at an economical speed. sustenance and reach, coupled with latest and modern equipment and system provide her with capability to perform role of a command platform and undertake tasks to fulfill Coast Guard charter," ICG said in a statement.

(Credit-@IndianCoastGuard/Twitter)