ICGS Sachet is the Indian Coast Guard's latest and largest offshore patrol vessel (OPV). Sachet is seventh ship in the Samarth-class OPV and the first ship from the second batch ordered by Indian Coast Guard and has been built by Goa Shipyard Limited.[5] The vessel was commissioned to coast guard service on 15 May 2020 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The commissioning is special as this was the first ever digital commissioning of any Indian Coast Guard's ship due to global pandemic COVID-19.[4] Sachet will be extensively used for Exclusive Economic Zone and other duties as it is set to be exploited extensively. The vessel will be under the command of Deputy Inspector General Rajesh Mittal.[4]

ICGS Sachet during commissioning ceremony.
History
India
NameSachet
Namesake'Vigilant'
OwnerIndian Coast Guard
BuilderGoa Shipyard Limited
Laid down20 March 2017[1]
Launched21 February 2019[2]
Acquired24 February 2020[3]
Commissioned15 May 2020[4]
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class and typeSamarth-class offshore patrol vessel
Displacement2,450 tonnes (2,700 short tons)[4]
Length105 m (344 ft)
Propulsion2 X diesel engines 9,100 kW (12,200 hp) each
SpeedIn excess of 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Endurance6,000 nmi (11,000 km)
Complement98(14 Officers)[4]
Aircraft carried1x HAL Dhruv

The vessel was laid down on 20 March 2017[1] and was subsequently launched on 21 February 2019.[2] Goa Shipyard delivered the ship to Indian Coast Guard on 24 February 2020.[3] With the commissioning of Sachet and other two interceptor craft, Indian Coast Guard became a force having 150 ships and boats with various other ship is construction.[4]

Service history

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On 19 July 2024, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) responded to a major fire aboard the container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt, 50 nautical miles off Karwar. Multiple ICG vessels, aircraft, and personnel were deployed to contain the fire, which was caused by a short circuit and spread to dangerous goods cargo. These included Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat, along with a Dornier and a ALH Dhruv. ICGS Samudra Prahari also provided support.[6][7]

After several days of firefighting efforts, the fire was extinguished on 30 July. One Filipino crew member died, and there was no significant oil pollution.[8][9] The ICG used over 1200 kg of Dry Chemical Powder and coordinated with local authorities for pollution response.[10][11]

On 19 June 2024, Sachet made a port call at the Port of Colombo to facilitate the transfer of essential spare parts, donated by the Indian Coast Guard, to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard ship Suraksha. The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka and the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence attended the ceremony.[12]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Keel For First Ship of the 5 CGOPV Project Laid In GSL" (Press release). Goa Shipyard. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Sitharaman launches vessel, asks defence PSUs to expand market". The Economic Times. EconomicTimes. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b @goashipyardltd (24 February 2020). "1st OPV Yard 1233 of 5 CGOPV Project delivered today to Indian Coast Guard" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel, 2 interceptor boats commissioned". Economic Times. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  5. ^ Mazumdar, Mrityunjoy (7 September 2016). "Goa Shipyard set to build five new OPVs for Indian Coast Guard". IHS Jane's Navy International. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. ^ "12 hours on, Indian Coast Guard ships battle fire onboard Maersk Frankfurt vessel in Arabian Sea". The Times of India. 20 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  7. ^ "ICG ships fight fire on cargo vessel for over 12 hours near Karwar". Financial Express. 20 July 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Container vessel maersk Frankfurt still on fire. 1 crew member dead". The Times of India. 21 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Fire On Merchant Navy Ship Off Goa Coast Under Control, Crew Member Dead". NDTV. 21 July 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Day 3: Fire continues aboard container Maersk Frankfurt". The Times of India. 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  11. ^ "MV Maersk Frankfurt that caught fire structurally stable after 10 days of fire fighting efforts". The Hindu. 28 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Sri Lanka Coast Guard receives essential spare parts from Indian Coast Guard". Sri Lanka Coast Guard. 19 June 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.