Indian Naval Ship Tarmugli commissioned

Visakhapatnam: Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani commissioned INS Tarmugli, a water jet fast attack craft (WJFAC), at an impressive ceremony held at Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

The commissioning of the fast attack craft was held under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command. The ship is a Trinkat Class WJFAC which was gifted to the Maldivian Naval Defence Forces (MNDF) in 2006 by the government of India.

She was returned in May this year and after extensive restoration work by the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, was reincarnated in its present avatar. Fitted with advanced MTU engines, water jet propulsion, latest communication equipment, a 30-mm gun and an advanced radar system, the warship will be extensively used for coastal surveillance and protection of our ODAs in the KG Basin area and along the East Coast of India.

INS Tarmugli is being commanded by Cdr Satpal Singh Sangwan and would operate under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh).

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, the ship is an improved version of the WJFAC. Named after a picturesque island in the Andaman group, the 320-tonne INS Tarmugli, measuring 48-mt in length, can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots and its commissioning marks an imperative advancement in maritime security and operational excellence.

Equipped with enhanced firepower, the ship is capable of operating in shallow waters at high speeds.