Car Nicobar class fast attack craft
Encyclopedia
The Car Nicobar class of high-speed offshore patrol vessels are built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
(GRSE) for the Indian Navy
. The vessels are designed as a cost-effective platform for patrol, anti-piracy and rescue operations in India
's Exclusive Economic Zone.
The class and its vessels are named for Indian islands. They are the first water jet propelled vessels of the Indian Navy.
. The vessels feature improved habitability with fully air-conditioned modular accommodation, on board reverse osmosis
plant for desalination
, and a sewage treatment
plant.
The vessels are each powered by three HamiltonJet HM811 water jets, coupled with MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines, delivering a combined 8160 KW of power. An aluminium super-structure reduces weight and is designed to reduce radar cross-section.
As patrol vessels, they are lightly armed. They carry various sensors, including the Furuno navigation radar and sonar. Armament on board includes a 30mm CRN-91
automatic cannon with an electronic day-night fire control system of Ordnance Factory Board
(OFB) and Bharat Electronics Limited
(BEL) origin. The vessels also mount two 12.7mm heavy machine gun
s (HMG) and multiple medium machine guns, besides carrying shoulder-launched Igla surface-to-air missile
s to combat aerial threats.
The first two vessels commissioned were initially restricted to speeds up to 27 knots due to deficiency in the gearboxes, which was later rectified by KPCL.
under India's Eastern Naval Command.
INS Cankarso and INS Kondul are based in Goa
under the Western Naval Command.
INS Kalpeni is based in Kochi
under the Southern Naval Command.
archipelago. On January 28, Cankarso responded to a Mayday
call from a container ship
. Upon reaching the site, she saw Somali pirate skiff
s being hoisted aboard a hijacked Thai
fishing trawler, Prantalay 14, which was being used as a pirate mother ship
.
INS Cankarso ordered the pirated ship to stop for inspection. The pirates on board fired on Cankarso as they tried to flee west towards Somalia
. Cankarso returned the fire, which hit some of the fuel drums stored on Prantalay 14s deck for refueling the skiffs. The mother ship was set ablaze and sank, even as Kalpeni and an Indian Coast Guard
patrol vessel, ICGS Sankalp, reached the site. 15 pirates were arrested, and the 20 crew of the fishing trawler were all rescued unharmed.
In another operation on 13 March 2011, an Indian Navy patrol aircraft spotted the Mozambique
-registered fishing vessel, Vega 5, when responding to a merchant ship reporting a pirate attack. Beira-based
Vega 5, owned by Spanish
company Pescamar Lda
, had been captured on 27 December 2010 by pirates who were demanding USD 1.8 million in ransom. INS Kalpeni intercepted the pirated ship about 1100 kilometres (683.5 mi) off Kochi on India's west coast. A fire broke out on the vessel when Kalpeni returned fired after being fired upon by the pirates. 61 pirates were rescued and arrested after they jumped into the Arabian Sea to escape the fire. The crew of Kalpeni put out the fire on board the Vega 5, rescued her 13 crew members and escorted her to Mumbai
. Rocket-propelled grenades and over 80 assault rifle
s were recovered from the pirates.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited is one of India's leading shipyards, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. It builds and repairs commercial and navals vessels....
(GRSE) for the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. The vessels are designed as a cost-effective platform for patrol, anti-piracy and rescue operations in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Exclusive Economic Zone.
The class and its vessels are named for Indian islands. They are the first water jet propelled vessels of the Indian Navy.
Design
The Car Nicobar class vessels were designed and built by GRSE. Production of the class was fast-tracked after the 2008 Mumbai attacks2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. The vessels feature improved habitability with fully air-conditioned modular accommodation, on board reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
plant for desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
, and a sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plant.
The vessels are each powered by three HamiltonJet HM811 water jets, coupled with MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines, delivering a combined 8160 KW of power. An aluminium super-structure reduces weight and is designed to reduce radar cross-section.
As patrol vessels, they are lightly armed. They carry various sensors, including the Furuno navigation radar and sonar. Armament on board includes a 30mm CRN-91
CRN 91 Naval Gun
The CRN-91 Naval gun is a naval version of the Medak 30mm automatic gun installed on the Sarath Infantry fighting vehicle, a variant of the Russian BMP-2 manufactured in India under license by the Ordnance Factory Medak...
automatic cannon with an electronic day-night fire control system of Ordnance Factory Board
Ordnance Factories Organisation
The Indian Ordnance Factories Board is an industrial setup functioning under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It is engaged in production of arms, ammunition, and equipment for civilian as well as military applications...
(OFB) and Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics Limited is a state-owned electronics company with about nine factories, and few regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government & primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces.BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of...
(BEL) origin. The vessels also mount two 12.7mm heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
s (HMG) and multiple medium machine guns, besides carrying shoulder-launched Igla surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s to combat aerial threats.
The first two vessels commissioned were initially restricted to speeds up to 27 knots due to deficiency in the gearboxes, which was later rectified by KPCL.
Vessels
| Name | Pennant | Yard No. | Builder | Keel laid | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| INS Car Nicobar | T69 | 2057 | GRSE | 23 November 2007 | 16 February 2009 | Active | |
| INS Chetlat | T70 | 2058 | GRSE | 27 November 2007 | 16 February 2009 | Active | |
| INS Kora Divh | T71 | 2059 | GRSE | 16 July 2008 | 10 September 2009 | Active | |
| INS Cheriyam | T72 | 2060 | GRSE | 16 July 2008 | 10 September 2009 | Active | |
| INS Cankarso | T73 | 2061 | GRSE | 29 July 2008 | 27 March 2009 | 29 June 2010 | Active |
| INS Kondul | T74 | 2062 | GRSE | 29 July 2008 | 27 March 2009 | 29 June 2010 | Active |
| INS Kalpeni | T75 | 2063 | GRSE | 29 July 2008 | 27 March 2009 | 14 October 2010 | Active |
| INS Kabra | T76 | 2064 | GRSE | 29 March 2010 | 08 June 2011 | Active | |
| INS Koswari | T77 | 2065 | GRSE | 29 March 2010 | 12 July 2011 | Active | |
| INS Karuva | T78 | 2066 | GRSE | 29 March 2010 | 25 Aug 2011 | Active |
Operations
INS Car Nicobar and INS Chetlat are based in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
under India's Eastern Naval Command.
INS Cankarso and INS Kondul are based in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
under the Western Naval Command.
INS Kalpeni is based in Kochi
Kochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
under the Southern Naval Command.
Operation Island Watch
In January 2011, as a part of Operation Island Watch, INS Cankarso and INS Kalpeni were deployed on anti-piracy patrol to the west of the LakshadweepLakshadweep
Lakshadweep , formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km off the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala...
archipelago. On January 28, Cankarso responded to a Mayday
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
call from a container ship
Container ship
Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
. Upon reaching the site, she saw Somali pirate skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s being hoisted aboard a hijacked Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
fishing trawler, Prantalay 14, which was being used as a pirate mother ship
Mother ship
A mother ship is a vessel or aircraft that carries a smaller vessel or aircraft that operates independently from it. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental aircraft to altitudes where they can conduct their research , or ships that carry small submarines to an area of ocean to be...
.
INS Cankarso ordered the pirated ship to stop for inspection. The pirates on board fired on Cankarso as they tried to flee west towards Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Cankarso returned the fire, which hit some of the fuel drums stored on Prantalay 14s deck for refueling the skiffs. The mother ship was set ablaze and sank, even as Kalpeni and an Indian Coast Guard
Indian Coast Guard
The Indian Coast Guard is a branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Its mission is the protection of India's maritime interests and maritime law enforcement with jurisdiction over both territorial and international waters....
patrol vessel, ICGS Sankalp, reached the site. 15 pirates were arrested, and the 20 crew of the fishing trawler were all rescued unharmed.
In another operation on 13 March 2011, an Indian Navy patrol aircraft spotted the Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
-registered fishing vessel, Vega 5, when responding to a merchant ship reporting a pirate attack. Beira-based
Beira, Mozambique
Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. Beira had a population of 412,588 in 1997, which grew to an estimated 546,000 in 2006...
Vega 5, owned by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
company Pescamar Lda
Pescanova
Pescanova Alimentación, S.A. is a Spanish fishing company based in Redondela, Galicia. Its base of operations is the port of Vigo.The Pescanova Group operates in 21 countries with approximately 3,400 employees...
, had been captured on 27 December 2010 by pirates who were demanding USD 1.8 million in ransom. INS Kalpeni intercepted the pirated ship about 1100 kilometres (683.5 mi) off Kochi on India's west coast. A fire broke out on the vessel when Kalpeni returned fired after being fired upon by the pirates. 61 pirates were rescued and arrested after they jumped into the Arabian Sea to escape the fire. The crew of Kalpeni put out the fire on board the Vega 5, rescued her 13 crew members and escorted her to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Rocket-propelled grenades and over 80 assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s were recovered from the pirates.
External links
- Car Nicobar Class - Bharat Rakshak
- INS Chetlat launched at GRSE
- New age ship for patrol
- GRSE launches two modern warships for Indian Navy