Article Posted on : - Sep 23, 2011

Fleet tanker INS Deepak was inducted in the Navy in January this year.

NEW DELHI (PTI): Strengthening its combat support capabilities, Indian Navy will induct its second Italy-made fleet tanker, INS Shakti, in Vishakhapatnam on October 1.

INS Shakti, the second of the Deepak Class fleet tanker constructed by Italian Fincantieri Shipyard, will be handed over to the Navy on Friday and will be commissioned in operational service on October 1, Navy officials said here.

The first tanker christened INS Deepak was commissioned into the Navy in Mumbai on January 21 this year.

INS Shakti will be the second fleet tanker to be inducted into the Eastern fleet and will help in strengthening combat support operations at sea and extend the reach of the naval power of the nation.

With the induction of the warship, the Navy will have two each fleet tankers on both the seaboards.

Though INS Shakti is essentially a tanker, it is a thoughtfully-designed and versatile platform capable of a large number of roles. In addition to its traditional role of supplying fuel to ships at sea, the ship is also capable of transporting and supplying ammunitions, materials and provisions.

The vessel is also capable of undertaking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations with its modern medical health facilities.

The ship is one of the largest vessels of the navy, 175 metres long, 25 metres wide and has a full load displacement of 27,000 tonnes.

The two Deepak class fleet tankers will be the mainstay tankers/ support ships of the Indian Navy in the first half of the 21st century.

Each ship is equipped with four AK-630 guns for close defence supplies and high-tech fire control system supplied by Bharat Electronics Limited.