Andaman Police GRSE sign MoU for annual maintenance of fast interceptor boats
The Andaman and Nicobar Police has finalised the Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (CAMC) for its fast interceptor boats (FIBs) with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).
The MoU for annual maintenance was signed for four FIBs. It was signed in the presence of Samir Bera, AGM, GRSE, and Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, DGP, Andaman and Nicobar Police. The annual maintenance of the rest of the FIBs (six) will be done in a phase-wise manner.
Speaking to the media, the DGP said, “The FIBs play an important role when it comes to our coastal surveillance here in this archipelago. Simultaneously, its maintenance is also our top priority, and therefore, we have signed an MoU with the GRSE to maintain full fitness.”
He said, “Need for stringent security measures through FIBs in Sri Vijaya Puram harbour area was felt because the Navy and the Coast Guard primarily do sea patrolling beyond 5 nautical miles, leading to a need for patrolling around the harbour area.
Therefore, these FIBs play an important role in assisting coastal security.” The 12-tonne fast interceptor boats were supplied to the Andaman and Nicobar Police during 2010-11 under the Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) Phase-I by the Ministry of Home Affairs. These vessels were designed, constructed and supplied by GRSE, a Central PSU under the Ministry of Defence.
Earlier, the AMC of these FIBs was successfully executed by GRSE up to July 2017. In the past, attempts to finalise maintenance through open tendering did not yield successful results due to the non-participation of competent bidders. Interim and piecemeal repairs undertaken thereafter were found to be inefficient, costly and unsustainable. Considering the importance of Fast Interceptor Boats in coastal surveillance, the FIBs were being maintained by in-house PMF technical staff.
However, the non-availability of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) spares and proprietary components in the Islands led to delays in procurement and extended vessel downtime, necessitating the annual maintenance contract, thereby ensuring OEM-level technical support, an assured supply of genuine spares, and reduced downtime.
The CAMC shall be valid for a period of three years, after a mobilisation period of 60 days, and covers preventive, routine and breakdown maintenance, deployment of trained technical personnel, supply of spares and consumables, and maintenance of minimum operational performance parameters. The contract also includes regular performance monitoring and reporting.
“The Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (CAMC) will significantly enhance the operational availability of FIBs, and also it will reinforce the coastal security of Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” said Niharika Bhatt, Superintendent of Police, Marine Force, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The focus area of the FIB is to have proper access control of the restricted harbour area and to assist Andaman and Nicobar Command, CISF & Port Control in carrying out firefighting operations, search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuation, marine pollution control, protection of natural resources and illegal fishing within the harbour area.
The vessel can achieve a speed of 35 nautical miles per hour and is GPS-enabled.
