MCGS ''Barracuda'' is a Kora-Class

offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and th ...

of National Coast Guard Mauritius. Built by

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, abbreviated as GRSE, is one of India's leading Defense industry, defence shipyards, located in Kolkata. It builds and repairs merchant shipping, commercial and warship, naval vessels. GRSE also expor ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and launched on 2 August 2013, it is the first warship to be exported by an Indian shipyard.

History

and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

concluded a contract on the purchase of MCGS ''Barracuda'' in March 2011. The ship was to have been built in 42 months and was delivered to The Mauritian Coast Guard in September 2014 on the sidelines of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Narendra Modi's state visit to

. Its

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

was laid in April 2012 and was launched on 2 August 2013.

Features

Valued at US$50 million, MCGS ''Barracuda'' has an integrated

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

system and advanced controls and main engines. It measures in length and in breadth and will be capable of moving at a maximum speed of with an approximate displacement of 1350 tonnes. Armed with a 30 mm gun featuring a stabilised optical remote control system, ''Barracuda'' also carries heavy machine-guns (HMGs) and medium machine-guns (MMGs) to deal with hostile situations. Crewed by a complement of 83 officers and sailors, ''Barracuda'' can be deployed for a wide range of tasks including anti-piracy, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-drug surveillance operations. The ship will safeguard the

exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...

and can be used as a logistics support vessel and to transport troops. ''Barracuda'' is also capable of supporting helicopter operations without a hangar.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barracuda Ships built in India Ships built in Kolkata 2013 ships National Coast Guard of Mauritius