Grand entry:People witnessing the launch of stealth frigate Himgiri in Kolkata on Monday.PTI  

Himgiri , the first of the three stealth frigates being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, under Project 17A for the Navy, was launched into water on Monday.

In Goa, the fifth and last of the offshore patrol vessels (OPV) in the series Saksham being built at Goa Shipyard was launched into water and is expected to be delivered to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) by October 2021.

P17A ships with a displacement of around 6,670 tonnes will be the most advanced state-of-the-art guided missile frigates once inducted, the GRSE said in a statement. The contract for the construction of the three stealth frigates is valued at over Rs. 19,293 crore.

This project is unique in that it is being built simultaneously at two locations, at the GRSE and the Mazgaon Docks in Mumbai. Fincantieri of Italy is the know-how provider for technology upgrade and capability enhancement in this project.

The indigenous OPV project was launched on November 13, 2016.

Since then, two vessels have been commissioned and all five have been launched, the ICG said in a statement. “In spite of the ongoing COVID-19 situation and disruptions in supply chains, it is creditable for the shipyard to complete the 100% hull construction and launch the vessel within 18 months from keel-laying, which was in June 2019,” the ICG said.

The vessel is in advanced stages of outfitting.

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