India commissions first home-designed pollution control ship ICGS Samudra Pratap in Goa
New Delhi, January 5. India on January 5 inducted its first indigenously designed pollution control vessel, ICGS Samudra Pratap, into the Indian Coast Guard fleet, marking a major boost to the country’s maritime environmental protection and surveillance capabilities.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the 4,170-tonne ship at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), calling it a key milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Built with more than 60 percent indigenous content, Samudra Pratap is the largest vessel in the Coast Guard to date and the first pollution control ship designed and constructed in India.
The vessel is the first of two such ships being built by GSL and is designed to handle a wide range of missions, including oil-spill response, firefighting, coastal patrol and maritime safety operations. Equipped with pollution detection systems, specialised response boats and modern firefighting equipment, it also features a helicopter hangar and aviation facilities, allowing it to operate over extended distances and in rough seas.
Singh said the ship reflected the growing maturity of India’s defence industrial ecosystem, adding that the government is working to raise the indigenous content of naval and coast guard vessels to 90 percent. He noted that the multi-role design of Samudra Pratap would strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to protect India’s long and busy coastline while responding swiftly to environmental emergencies.
Highlighting the Coast Guard’s expanding role, the Defence Minister said the force now spans everything from pollution control and coastal cleanliness to search-and-rescue and maritime law enforcement. He warned that any attempt to threaten India’s maritime borders would be met with a firm response.
Calling marine environmental protection both a strategic and moral responsibility, Singh said advanced platforms such as Samudra Pratap would help prevent damage to coral reefs, mangroves, fisheries and marine biodiversity, which are critical for coastal communities and the blue economy. He added that India’s growing ability to manage oil spills, fires and salvage operations places it among a small group of countries with high-end maritime environmental response capabilities.
The minister also linked the commissioning of the ship to India’s broader “Grand Maritime Vision” and its role as a responsible power in the Indo-Pacific, saying New Delhi was committed to peace, stability and environmental responsibility at sea.
In a first for the Coast Guard, Samudra Pratap will have two women officers as part of its crew. Singh said this reflected the force’s move towards a more inclusive and gender-neutral work culture, with women now serving as pilots, air traffic controllers, logistics and law officers, and in frontline roles.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to modernising the Coast Guard, Singh said the force must evolve from a reactive platform-centric organisation to one driven by intelligence, integration and specialised skills, including in areas such as maritime law enforcement, environmental protection and cyber security.
Named Samudra Pratap, meaning “Majesty of the Seas”, the vessel is 114.5 metres long, has a top speed of over 22 knots and an endurance of 6,000 nautical miles. It is powered by two 7,500-kW diesel engines driving indigenously developed controllable pitch propellers, giving it high manoeuvrability and operational flexibility.
The ship is fitted with side-sweeping arms, floating booms, high-capacity skimmers, portable barges and a pollution control laboratory. It also carries an external firefighting system, dynamic positioning and advanced automated management systems. For self-defence, it is armed with a 30-mm gun and two 12.7-mm remote-controlled guns.
Samudra Pratap will be based at Kochi and operate under the Coast Guard’s western region, covering Kerala and Mahe.
