KOCHI: The flotilla of the auxiliary craft at the Southern Naval Command was augmented with the induction of the 930 tonne Ambuda into the Naval Ship Repair Yard on Monday.
The induction ceremony was conducted by Commodore Ajay Kumar Sinha, Chief Staff Officer (Technical), Southern Naval Command at the South Jetty, Naval Base. The vessel, being operated by a crew of 19 and headed by Master T N Preshi, is 50mlong and is fitted with two engines. The seagoing
barge capable of speeds up to 12 knots is named after the previous auxiliary which served the Indian Navy for over 40 years and deinducted in February 2007.
Ambuda is capable of serving the Navy's warships at anchorage outside the harbour and elsewhere to ensure quick operational turnaround.
She has all the essential and latest communication and navigation equipment and also carries a Rigid Inflatable Boat(RIB). The vessel complies with the standards of the Indian Register of Shipping and International Maritime Organisation for vessels of similar class.
Commodore Vivek Chawla, Commodore Superintendent Naval Ship Repair Yard, Kochi, Commodore P K S Shrivastava, Warship Production Superintendent, Mumbai, M I Santhanam, vicepresident, Vipul Shipyard, senior officers of the Navy and the staff of the Naval Ship Repair Yard were present at the function. Ambuda built by Vipul Shipyard, Surat, is the third in the series of such vessels being built by it for the Navy.
