Bhuj (Gujarat), May 8 (Inditop) The Gujarat Marine Police will be receiving its first Interceptor Security Vessel for patrolling the state’s 1,600 km coastline early next week, a senior marine police official said Friday.
The bullet-proof vessel, weighing 12 tonnes and costing Rs.2.5 crore (Rs.25 million) was initially brought from Greece to Goa. The vessel has now been loaded onto a truck trailer and is being brought to the state by road. It is expected to arrive in Mundhra for its formal launch in Gujarat’s coastal waters by Wednesday, the official said.
The state-of-art vessel, which has a maximum speed of 39 nautical miles per hour, incorporates jet propulsion technology powered by an underwater engine mounted below the boat, unlike normal vessels using outboard motors with a propeller to move the boat forward.
The vessel can carry a crew of 20 and has facilities for mounting light machine guns and other sophisticated weapons on board. A full tank of diesel can take the vessel up to 75 nautical miles non-stop, and it has a reserve fuel tank capacity of 25 litres for emergencies, the official added.
