Navy built patrol craft handed over to Coast Guard

Saturday, 14 December 2013 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Two Inshore Patrol Craft (IPCs) built by the Sri Lanka Navy were handed over to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) at a function held at the Port of Colombo early this week.

The craft, built at the Navy’s boatbuilding facility at Welisara under its Inshore Patrol Craft Construction Project costs approximately Rs. 24.4 million each. The two new IPCs will sail under the Pennant Numbers CG 19 and CG 22, and are expected to augment the operational capability of the Coast Guard. So far the Navy has built six of these custom built patrol crafts for the Coast Guard using indigenous expertise and raw material which has saved a significant amount of foreign exchange to the country. Each IPC is 14.85 metres in length and 3.39 metres in width. The craft runs on two 350 HP engines and has a displacement of 9.5 tons. The craft is equipped with modern radar, GPS, electronic compass and safety systems. Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Director General of SLCG Rear Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne and senior officials of the SLN and SLCG were present at the event.