Indian coast guard job for Rolls-Royce

ABG Shipyard, the largest private yard in India, has selected Rolls-Royce to design and provide equipment for three Indian Coast Guard ships which will prepare it to combat potential environmental crises ? particularly oil spills.

The ships, which will feature a range of Rolls-Royce propulsion, steering and motion control equipment, are India?s response to the increasing risk of serious spills from merchant ships, many of them ageing, in its waters.

The three vessels, each 94 metres in length and weighing 3,300 tonnes, will be built at the ABG Shipyard in Surat in a $92 million contract with the Coast Guard and the first newbuilding will be delivered in 2006.

Coast Guard statistics for last year show that eight merchant ships which had sunk near major Indian ports or in the Andaman Sea were 20-25 years old. It also estimated that at least 200 ships are in the Indian Ocean every day, 40% of them oil tankers. That figure is expected to increase significantly, in line with predictions of a 100% increase in oil demand in India over the next 20 years.

Rishi Agarwal, managing director ? ABG Shipyard, said: “We have built many highly-specialised vessels, including those with diesel electric propulsion and dynamic positioning, for customers worldwide. This experience, coupled with the excellent design and equipment package from Rolls-Royce, is expected to result in very high quality Pollution Control Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard.”

The ships, each of which will have a helicopter capable of overseeing operations, will use a boom system to contain oil spillages. Contaminated water can be pumped on board and analysed in a laboratory. The oil can then be separated and held in storage tanks or inflatable barges which can be towed behind the vessel to free up deck space.

Additional duties will be surveillance and law enforcement, anti smuggling and fishery protection, search and rescue, collecting data, and assistance with salvage and fire fighting.

Rolls-Royce propulsion, steering and stabilisation equipment on each ship will include two Bergen B32 diesel engines, two Kamewa Ulstein propeller plants, an Ulstein Aquamaster thruster, Tenfjord steering gear, an Ulstein rudder, Rauma Brattvaag deck machinery, Ulstein automation system and switchboards and Intering anti-roll stabilisation.