India undertaking maintenance of Mauritius Coast Guard’s patrol vessel

India is undertaking a scheduled maintenance of Mauritius Coast Guard Ship (MCGS) Barracuda at GRSE Kolkata. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Kolkata (GRSE), an Indian government enterprise is one of the key shipyards of the country.

Indian Navy chief Adm Karambir Singh visited the shipyard last week to review the ongoing maintenance activities and interacted with the crew of the vessel.  

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The ship is in the final stages of the maintenance and shall undergo sea-trials shortly, which will be monitored jointly by both Indian Navy and Mauritius Coast Guard crew. Post the successful completion of the trials, MCGS Barracuda would be ready to sail to Mauritius.

The development is being seen as not only the support to the Mauritius Coast Guard from India but also in terms of capacity building.  

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Important to note that MCGS Barracuda was the first warship to be exported by an Indian shipyard and was built by GRSE.  It was delivered to the Mauritian Coast Guard during PM Modi's visit to the country. It was commissioned into Mauritius National Coast Guard in March 2015.

It was the first ‘Made to Order’ warship constructed by India for any foreign country, and is seen as a testimony to the strong relationship between the two countries.  

Indian Navy has been playing an important role in terms of reaching out to nations of the Indian Ocean. Amid Covid crisis, it reached out to countries of the area and provided them relief as part of Sagar missions.