The Indian Navy commissioned the first of eight landing craft utility vessels that are built for the navy by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.
Designated as INLCU L51, the vessel was commissioned by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on March 28.
The LCU is a 900-ton ship measuring 62.8 meters in length and 11 meters in breadth. The ship is propelled by 02 MTU diesel engines of 1840 Kw rating and can sustain speeds up to 15 knots. According to the Indian Navy, the LCUs have an endurance of 1500 nautical miles
L51 will assist in amphibious operations by carrying out beaching operations in addition to carrying out maritime surveillance of Andaman & Nicobar islands to prevent anti-poaching, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, poaching and other illegal activities.
The armament onboard the ship consists of two 30 mm CRN -91 guns manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Medak. The gun is controlled by an electrical day-night fire control system manufactured by Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL). The ship is also equipped with 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns and 7.62 mm Medium Machine Guns.
INLCU L51 is commanded by Cdr Vishwesh S Nadkarni.