Fleet tanker INS Shakti commissioned into the Indian Navy
01 Oct 2011
Vishakhapatnam: The Indian Navy inducted its latest fleet tanker, INS Shakti, today commissioning the ship at the naval dockyard in Viskhapatnam on Saturday. The ship was commissioned into service by the chief of the Indian naval staff, Admiral Nirmal Verma, who said that the induction would mark the beginning of a new era of state-of-the-art technologies for the Indian Navy.
"The ship enhances the reach of the navy well beyond the limits of the Indian Ocean," Verma said.
He congratulated the Fincantieri Shipyard of Italy, which constructed the tanker, for delivering it in time. Construction of INS Shakti commenced at the Italian shipyard in November 2009.
The ship was formally handed over to the Indian Navy on September 23, in under two years.
The ship is 175 metres in length and 32 metres wide making it one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy. Apart from fuel and fresh water it can also carry upto 500 tonnes of solid cargo like provisions and ammunition.
The ship has a credible self defence capability and an indigenous anti-missile defence chaff system.