Indian Navy inducts landing craft utility ship

Enhancing its amphibious warfare capabilities, the Indian Navy on Thursday inducted a landing craft utility ship which will be used for a variety of activities like transporting battle tanks and other heavy weapons systems. The eighth and last of the landing craft utility (LCU) mark-IV class ship was commissioned at an event in Port Blair, a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said.

The ship was indigenously designed and built by state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata.

The LCU Mk-IV ships are amphibious vessels with a designated primary role of transporting main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, troops and equipment from ship to shore. The ship is manned by a team of five officers and 50 sailors, and is capable of carrying 160 troops in addition, the officials said.

Based at Port Blair, these ships can be deployed for a variety of roles such as search and rescue, disaster relief operations, supply and replenishment and evacuation from distant islands, the official said.

“The induction of these ships will contribute to the nation’s maritime security needs and is in consonance with the prime minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” he said.