NEW DELHI: In an attempt to bolster bilateral ties and reinforcing cooperation in maritime security with Seychelles, Navy chief Admiral R K Dhowan arrived in the island nation on a four-day visit on Thursday.
Admiral Dhowan on Friday will hand over the second Indian Fast Attack Craft (FAC) to the Seychelles that will strengthen its Coast Guard against piracy and other threats.
According to the Navy, India has provided a comprehensive maritime security solution including provisioning of military hardware, training, consultancy as well as hydrographic assistance to the Seychelles.
The first craft, SCG Topaz (formerly INS Tarmugli), was gifted to the Seychelles Islands by India in 2005 and has served the Seychelles Coast Guard well, having carried out several anti-piracy patrols and captured several pirates.
INS Tarasa, which has been recently refitted at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, will join her sister ship SCG Topaz as part of the Indian Navy’s assistance to Seychelles Coast Guard in capacity building towards meeting its maritime security needs. In addition, the Navy would also position a maintenance and support team to assist the Seychelles Coast Guard.
“The Indian Navy remains committed to support the Seychelles in its endeavours to ensure good order at sea and protection of its vast Exclusive Economic Zone,” the Navy statement said.
The new vessel is a Car Nicobar Class and features a more efficient hull-form design than the earlier FAC version.The vessel is equipped with Furuno navigation radar, surface search radars and a sonar system. The class has a sewage treatment plant and a reverse osmosis plant for desalination.
The main gun fitted on the bow deck is a CRN-91 30 mm auto-cannon. It is the naval version of the 2A42 30 mm Medak gun.
The gun can fire 550 rounds a minute for a maximum range of 4,000 m. The firing is controlled by an electro-optic fire control system jointly supplied by the Ordnance Factory Board and Bharat Electronics.