Launch of ‘Kamla Devi’ , a Fast Patrol Vessel is another achievement of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd that has built and delivered over 100 ships to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. ‘Kamla Devi ‘ ship has been built for the Indian Coast Guard. GRSE , a public limited company owned by the government of India, is the first one to export a warship too. ‘ Kamla Devi ‘ is the fifth ship of the series and these ships are used for anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations at sea.
According to the press release yardship the FPV was christened Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) “Kamla Devi” by Neela Pathania, wife of Director General of Coast Guard Virender Singh Pathania on Monday. Apart from Mr.Pathania . other officers and GRSE Chairmen R K Dash and Cmdre PR Hari were also present during the ceremony.
This ship has an interesting history as originally, ‘Kamla Devi’ was scheduled to be the fourth ship in the series of five such FPVs that GRSE was contracted to build for the Indian Coast Guard and now she is the last in the series. GRSE has already completed construction of five ships of this series well within schedule. However, the 4 th in the series was exported to the Republic of Seychelles as the ‘SCG PS Zoroaster’ by the Indian Government in 2021.
ICGS Kamladevi is named after social reformer and freedom activist ‘Kamladevi Chattopadhyay’ who worked towards the upliftment of artisans and craftsmen across the country and development of the performing arts. She also worked for the socio-economic upliftment of women in India and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
These ships are 48.9M long & 7.5M wide with a displacement of around 308 Tons and are designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1500 nautical miles. These ships are equipped with three main Engines with advanced control systems, Water Jet units and an ‘Integrated Bridge System’ integrating all Communication and Navigation Systems. These ships are also fitted with 40/60 Gun as main armament and will also have improved habitability features with fully air-conditioned modular accommodation for 35 personnel. These ships are used for anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations at sea.
