Defence shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipyard & Engineers is expected to deliver a 1,300 tonne offshore patrol vessel named “Barracuda” to Mauritius on Saturday.
The $58 million vessel is the first warship ordered by a foreign country from an Indian shipyard.
Senior naval officers have long argued for exporting warships to countries in the Indo – Pacific region. This, they said, would strengthen India’s security partnerships, while providing economy of scale to India’s warship builders and ancillary companies.
Barracuda completed a month of sea trials during which it delivered a top speed of 22.5 knots, compared to the customer’s requirement of 20 knots. The vessel is designed for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching, search and rescue and other operations.
Barracuda will be handed over by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh to the Mauritius government at Kolkata on Saturday.
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Press release, Image: GRSE