The Cochin Shipyard has launched the fourth Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The vessel ‘Abhiraj’ was launched by Dr Ranjini Raghavan in the presence of DIG Satish Chandran, Commandant, Coast Guard District Headquarters 4, and DIG TP Sadanandan, CGRPS (K) of Indian Coast Guard. Capt R S Sundar, Director (Operations) CSL, Dr K N Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, senior officials of the Coast Guard, Indian Navy, and Cochin Shipyard were present.
It is the fourth in a series of 20 FPVs being built by the Cochin Shipyard for the Coast Guard. The vessels are being built under the dual classification requirements of ABS and IRS.The primary roles of the vessel include fisheries protection and monitoring, patrol within exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and coastal patrol, anti-smuggling, search, rescue operations and anti-piracy operations.