CHENNAI: Indian Coast Guard Ship C-440, the 40th of the 54 Interceptor Boats built by Larsen & Toubro, was commissioned here on Thursday by Inspector-General Rajan Bargotra, Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
The ship is commanded by Asst Commandant Kundoor Varun and will be based at Chennai under the operational command of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
Speaking on the occasion, Bargotra said that Coast Guard has grown from 61 ships in 2009 to 136 ships now. “In 2017, 11 ships were inducted into service. The aim is to have a 190 ship and 100 aircraft strong Coast Guard by 2022,” he said.
“Eastern Region of the Coast Guard is responsible for maintaining surveillance along 2207 km of coastline and 4.25 lakhs sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone. The responsibility of the Coast Guard has increased manifold due to present day security matrix. Modern technology does assist us in our endeavour of surveillance, however, it is the constabulary presence of our ships and aircraft in the maritime zones of India which acts as a deterrence,” he said.
The Commissioning Ceremony was witnessed by senior officers of Coast Guard and other distinguished guests from various Central and State agencies.