In a major fillip to Coast Guard operations in the vast coastline of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, interceptor boat ICGS C-436 was on Friday 're-based' at Karaikal in a welcome ceremony. The interceptor boat, fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, has sensors and machineries capable of operating in tropical sea conditions and carrying out close coastal surveillance, a defence release said.

The ship would give a major fillip to Coast Guard operations and shall be deployed in the Area of Responsibility (AoR) of Indian Coast Guard Station Karaikal.

The sustenance and reach, coupled with the latest and modern equipment and system, provides it the capability to perform the role of an eagle eye on nefarious activities.

On the boat's maiden entry to the base port in Karaikal, a welcome ceremony was held in which District Collector, Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu), Arun Thambiraj and officers of the Coast Guard participated.

The commanding officer of ICGS Karaikal, Coast Guard ships, officers and Enrolled Personnel (EPs) of Coast Guard, representatives from stakeholders of Coastal Security and Marine Pollution were present in the welcome ceremony.

Indian Coast Guard Ship C-436, Interceptor Boat (IB) is the 36th boat of its series and was commissioned at its base port Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in 2018.

The boat is 27.63 metres in length and has been designed and built indigenously. It is designed to carry a high-speed inflatable boat for boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol.

The ship can attain a maximum speed of 45 knots and has an endurance of 500 nautical miles at 20 kN speed.