Setting the ball rolling for yet another diversification initiative, the keel for the newly designed Fisheries Oceanographic Research Vessel (FORV) was laid on 9 March 2012 at Goa Shipyard Ltd.
This is the first in the series of three vessels being built by GSL for the Central Marine Fisheries Institute (CMFRI) Kochi.
Dr. Philipose K. K. Scientist-in-Charge of Karwar Research Centre of CMFRI laid the keel in the distinguished presence of RAdm (Retd) Vineet Bakhshi VSM Chairman and Managing Director GSL, Dr. Jayasree Loka, Senior scientist CMFRI and Directors of GSL .
The 20 metre vessel is aimed at deep sea trawl fishing and collection of marine samples from the sea at East & West Coast EEZ and Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. The vessel having 7m breadth, 2.8m depth, 159t displacement shall attain a free running speed of 10knots with a 500hp engine. The vessel is expected to be launched in September 2012.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff , March 15, 2012; Image: GSL