KOCHI: The Southern Naval Command has been provided with a new hydrographic survey ship, INS Investigator. The ship, which was deployed in Andaman and Nicobar has been re-based at Kochi.
The vessel, which docked at Kochi Naval Base was welcomed by Chief of Staff Rear Admiral R J Nadkarni at the South Jetty on Wednesday.
Built by Garden Reach Ship Builders, Calcutta, the 1,900-tonne ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 11, 1990. She is commanded by Commander R Abdul Rahiman and has a complement of 20 officers and 200 sailors.
The ship is fitted with state-of-art survey equipment, including a deep-sea multibeam echosounder, single beam echosounders, side scan sonars, and modern survey software suites. She carries four 9.2 m Survey Motor Boats (SMBs) for undertaking surveys in shallow waters. The ship also has an integral Chetak helicopter for supporting survey operations.
Her primary role is to undertake hydrographic surveys for the production of navigation charts. In her secondary role, the ship can be converted into a 40-bed hospital during war or other contingencies.