On 23 March 2010, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was awarded a contract by the Ministry of Defence for the design and construction of 36 High-Speed Interceptor Boats for the Indian Coast Guard.
The contract is valued at Rs 977 Cr. and is among one of the main initiatives being taken by the government to strengthen coastal security.
The interceptor boats will feature aluminium-alloy hull construction with water jet propulsion to enable quick response, which is vital for such applications. The interceptors will also be able to operate effectively in shallow water that will be critical for near-shore action. These boats will be expected to significantly enhance our coastal security.
The design is being carried out in-house by L&T, at its ‘state-of-the-art’ Ship Design Center, that is a part of L&T’s Heavy Engineering Division. The boats are planned to be constructed at L&T’s existing shipyard at Hazira, and at its new shipyard coming up at Katupalli near Ennore.
L&T has been building special-purpose semi-submersible RO-RO / LO-LO, and Heavy Lift ships for export at its Hazira Yard, equipped to manufacture vessels up to 20000 DWT.