ICG lays keel of fourth FPV under 14-vessel project

The keel-laying ceremony of an Indian Coast Guard fast patrol vessel (FPV) — the fourth in a series of 14 being built for coastal security, search and rescue, and law enforcement — was held on Monday, officials said. The ships are being built in consonance with the nation’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and are poised to augment the ICG’s presence in the Indian Ocean Region, they said. “Keel-laying ceremony for FPV-4 (Yard 16504) along with plate cutting ceremony for FPV-7 (Yard 16507) of the 14 FPVs project (Yard 16501-14) was held at MDL, Mumbai today,” a senior official of the ICG said. The FPVs are being equipped with State-of-the-art machinery, including an AI-based predictive maintenance system and multipurpose drones.