ICGS C-453 Interceptor boat commissioned for surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone

It has been indigenously constructed by Larsen and Toubro for the Coast Guard

• The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICG) named as C-453 was commissioned into services in Chennai port
• This was the 17th interceptor boats out of the 18 which are being indigenously built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd
• It will be deployed extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance

Highlights of commissioning ICG C-453

• The 105-ton ICGS C-453 vessel, which is the penultimate one in this series, was commissioned to the Indian Coast Guard Ship C-453
• This boat will join the Coast Guard Eastern fleet that will be deployed extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance and other duties to safeguard the maritime interests of India
• The vessel is 27.80m long with a maximum speed of 45 knots (85 kmph) and is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks including surveillance, interdiction, close coast patrol, search and rescue and help in distress at sea

Special Features of ICG C – 453

• The ship will be deployed to do surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and other duties in accordance with the Coast Guard Charter. This will help in safeguarding the maritime interests of India
• It has advanced navigation and communication equipment for safe navigation
• It is provided with quick reaction ability coupled with modern equipment and systems which provides it the capability to swiftly respond to any maritime situation at very short notice
• The ICGS C-453 will be commanded by Assistant Commandant Animesh Sharma and will be based at Chennai under the operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Region (East)
• With the addition of this, the fleet will have 157 ships and boats and 62 aircraft
• Further, 40 ships are at various stages of construction at different shipyards in India and 16 Advanced Light Helicopters MK III are being accepted by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru, which will provide surveillance capabilities to the Coast Guard

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

• As prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind
• It stretches from the baseline out to 200 nautical miles (nmi) from the coast of the state in question. In colloquial usage, the term may include the continental shelf
• The term does not include either the territorial sea or the continental shelf beyond the 200 nmi limit
• The difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone is that the first confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the second is merely a “sovereign right” which refers to the coastal state’s rights below the surface of the sea
• The surface waters, as can be seen in the map, are international waters

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