Goa Shipyard Delivers Second Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel To Sri Lankan Navy

The Sri Lankan Navy has taken delivery of the second advanced offshore patrol vessel from India's state-owned shipbuilder Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) on Thursday, 25 days ahead of schedule. 

With this, shipyard has succeeded in reducing build period of 2500 Tonnes OPV to nearly 3 years from over 5 years taken till about 3 years back, GSL said in a press release.

"The Sri Lanka Offshore Patrol Vessel (SLOPV) project for building two large size ships is one of the most significant defense cooperation between India & Sri Lanka and one of the largest export contracts, being executed by GSL currently for any friendly country. The vessel will be the largest and most advanced ship in the Sri Lankan Navy fleet," the Indian defense ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"This state-of-the-art and largest ship in the Sri Lanka Naval fleet will help meet the increasing requirement of the Sri Lanka Navy for undertaking policing and patrolling of its vast Exclusive Economic Zone," said Rear Admiral (Rtd) Shekhar Mital, Chairman and Managing Director of GSL. 

The GSL had delivered the first vessel to the SL Navy, built at a cost of approximately $66 million, in July 2017, under the Sri Lanka Offshore Patrol Vessel (SLOPV) project, one of the largest export contracts being executed by the Indian shipyard.