Feature 9 | LOGISTICS VESSELS
Fincantieri on track to deliver fleet tanker to India
With the commissioning of the Fincantieri-built large replenishment tanker INS Deepak in January 2011 Italy became the first European country to build a major surface unit for the Indian Navy for several decades.
F
incantieri won the order to build the fleet tanker in 2008, against stiff competition from a number
of well-known international builders, in particular yards in Russia and Korea. Te contract, for a single vessel, was signed on 23 April 2008; an option for a second ship was exercised by the end of March 2009 with the contract coming into force some six months later. The keel-laying for the first ship took
place on 3 September 2008 followed by launching of Deepak at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard on 12 February 2010. Sea trials commenced in September 2010 followed by delivery to the Indian Navy in early December 2010. Construction of the second ship started
on 16 November 2009, followed by keel-laying in April 2010. Te ship, named Shakti, was launched on 11 October 2010 at the Sestri shipyard near Genoa. Te Indian Navy says delivery of Shakti is expected within a period of two years from start of construction – that is, by November 2011 – although construction has proceeded ahead of schedule and Fincantieri expects to deliver the ship as early as August, aſter completing sea trials in June.
Marpol regulations Te double-hulled vessels comply with IMO Marpol environmental regulations and have a full load displacement of approximately 27,500tonnes, a length of 175m, beam of 25m and draft of around 9m. They also have a 37m-long flight deck and a 25m-long hangar. Te ships have accommodation for up to 250 crew and additional personnel. Their propulsion plant consists of
two MAN 8L48/60B diesels, each rated at 9600kW, driving a single shaft with a four-bladed controllable-pitch propeller for a maximum speed of 20knots. A bow thruster is also fitted, and the vessels’ range is 10,000nm at an economical
50
INS Deepak is the first European-built major surface unit to have been built for the Indian Navy for several decades.
speed of 16knots. Shipboard systems include a Seastema platform management system and Sperry Marine VisionMaster FT integrated bridge and navigation system. With a cargo load of 15,760tonnes, up to
four ships can be replenished simultaneously at a RAS speed of 14-16knots. Cargo capacity includes 12,000tonnes of fuel oil, 2300tonnes of AVCAT, 2000tonnes of fresh water, 1000tonnes of lubrication oil, 510tonnes of solid cargo including 200tonnes of ammunition plus 16 ISO cargo containers that are stored on the forecastle, which also has a large crane for handling these containers. For vertical replenishment (VERTREP), helicopters with an all up weight of 10tonnes can be used. The ships have been fitted with a comprehensive
defensive armament including four AK-630M close-in weapons
systems, two Bharat Electronics EON-51 electro-optical directors, six Indian- designed Kavach decoy launchers and a Bharat Electronics Sanket ESM system. Tese, and the mini combat management system and communications system, along with several multifunction consoles, are government furnished equipment (GFE) and constitute a significant portion of the contract’s 30% offset requirement. Te vessels are a timely addition to the
Indian Navy’s auxiliary forces. Until recently, the Indian Navy only had two dedicated oilers in service – the 36,000tonne Russian Project 15966M merchant tanker Jyoti and a locally built 24,600tonne vessel Aditya. Ideally, the Indian Navy would like to have another four replenishment ships in order to achieve a more favourable ratio of combatants to oilers. WT
Warship Technology July/August 2011
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