New Delhi. 22 January, 2016. The Director General (ICG) Indian Coast Guard Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, AVSM, gifted a high speed Interceptor Boat to the Seychelles Coast Guard as a goodwill gesture at a formal ceremony at Mahe, Seychelles.
The president of Seychelles HE Mr. James Michel also graced the occasion. The boat, which was constructed by M/s L&T shipyard Mumbai is is equipped with state of the art navigation and communication equipment. It is designed to do a speed of 45 Knots and has an endurance of 500 NM at 20 Knots. The capability of the boat is well established by the fact that she sailed under own power to the island nation covering a distance of 1525 nm under the escort of Indian Coast Guard Ship Samarth.
The friendly gesture by the Government of India comes with an aim to assist Seychelles in capacity enhancement for ensuring safe seas in the IOR(Indian Ocean Region) thereby reinforcing the long and friendly relationship between the two countries
The ceremony of handing over included the decommissioning of the boat by striking down the Tricolour and the ICG Ensign by the Indian crew and thereafter commissioning it in the active service of Seychelles Coast Guard by hosting their flag by their crew. The name of the boat has been rechristened as SCG Hermes from ICGS C-405. The designated crew of Seychelles have undergone 3 weeks training onboard the boat in India and further 5 weeks of training will be imparted by the Indian afloat support team at Seychelles. This goodwill gesture is seen as a big step towards India’s resolve to enhance the safety and security of the littoral states in the IOR.
