Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 30: In a significant step towards strengthening Coastal Security and ensuring sustained operational readiness of maritime assets, A&N Police has finalised the Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (CAMC) for 04 Nos. 12-Ton Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs) with M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), Kolkata, on nomination basis, in the presence of Cmde Samir Bera (Retd.), AGM, GRSE, and Shri Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, IPS, DGP A&N Islands.
The 12-Ton Fast Interceptor Boats were supplied to the A&N Police during 2010–11 under the Coastal Security Scheme (CSS) Phase-I by the Ministry of Home Affairs. These vessels were designed, constructed and supplied by M/s GRSE, a Government of India PSU under the Ministry of Defence.
Earlier, the AMC of these FIBs was successfully executed by M/s GRSE up to July 2017. Subsequent attempts to finalise maintenance through open tendering did not yield successful results due to non-participation of competent bidders. Interim and piecemeal repairs undertaken thereafter were found to be inefficient, costly and unsustainable. Considering the importance of Fast Interceptor Boats in coastal surveillance, the FIBs were being maintained by in-house PMF technical staff. However, the non-availability of OEM spares and proprietary components in the Islands led to delays in procurement and extended vessel downtime, necessitating the Annual Maintenance Contract, thereby ensuring OEM level technical support, assured supply of genuine spares, and reduced downtime.
The CAMC shall be valid for a period of 03 years, after a mobilisation period of 60 days, and covers preventive, routine and breakdown maintenance, deployment of trained technical personnel, supply of spares and consumables, and maintenance of minimum operational performance parameters. The contract also includes regular performance monitoring and reporting. The CAMC will significantly enhance the operational availability of PMF vessels and reinforce coastal security of A&N Islands.