2 high-speed interceptor boats inducted into Navy

CHENNAI: The Indian Navy on Friday inducted two Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) into its fleet at Nagapattinam in an effort to beef up coastal security.

The high-speed vessels, capable of operating in shallow waters, were acquired for Sagar Prahari Bal, a unit of the Navy created post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as part of the coastal security construct, said a defence press release here.

Over the years, the boats, which have established their efficacy in coastal security and force protection measures, the release said.

Also, the boats can carry a variety of armament from heavy machine guns to grenade launchers with the upper deck canopies bullet-proof, it said.

The vessels were inducted in the presence of naval detachment Nagapattinam officer-in-charge Lieutenant Commodore Harihar and naval officer-in-charge to flag officer commanding (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) Commodore Vidyanshu Srivastava, it added.