Kolkata: The third indigenous Landing Craft Utility vessel, useful for transporting tanks, armoured vehicles and soldiers during amphibious operations, was on Friday launched in Kolkata.
The vessel is the third in the series of eight LCUs being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).
Launching of the vessel which is designed in-house and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy is yet another milestone in India's quest for self-reliance in sophisticated shipbuilding, an official statement said.
It was launched in the presence of Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and his wife Reena Lanba.
Invocations from Atharva Veda were recited in Sanskrit and English at the start of the launch. Lanba named the ship as 'LCU L53' and wished good luck before launch, it said.
The first LCU was launched on March 12, and the second on September 23 last year.
The ship will be fitted with an advanced Integrated Platform Management System for remote control of propulsion, auxiliary and power generating equipment.
Two CRN-91 indigenous 30 MM guns to provide fire support during operations will also be fitted onboard.
The ship can be deployed for maritime security, beaching or un-beaching, humanitarian relief operations and evacuation from distant islands, search and rescue operations and peace-keeping missions.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Lanba commended the contributions made by GRSE towards meeting the Navy's growing requirements of state-of-art warships.
He appreciated the efforts put in by GRSE and other private sector industries towards achieving Indian Navy's dream of transformation from a "Buyers Navy" to a "Builders Navy", the statement said.
