The offshore patrol vessel ICGS Vikram, designed and built by Larsen & Toubro, was commissioned into the Indian Coast on 11 April at L&T’s defence shipyard at Kattupalli, near Chennai. The vessel is the first of seven new generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) contracted by Ministry of Defence (MoD) to L & T in March 2015, under ‘Make in India’ initiative. ICGS Vikram OPVs are long-range surface ships, equipped to handle helicopter operations and operate in Indian maritime zones including island territories. The 97m long, 15m wide, vessel, has 3.6m draught, 2140 T displacement and a range of 5000 NM. It can attain a sustained speed of up to 26 knots.
