Overview:

• Urja Pravaha arrived in Kochi on 22^ND April 2022 and it will be under the Coast Guard District Headquarters-4’s (Mahe and Kerala) operational command.
• The auxiliary barge Urja Shrota has also been based here since 2017.

About the ship

Urja Pravaha has a draft of 1.85 meters and it is 36.96 meter long. It has been designed to cargo aviation fuel, ship fuel, and freshwater with a capacity limit of 10 tons, 50 tons, and 40 tons respectively. This newly inducted ship will help in enhancing the operations of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) by extending logistics support to the ships of the Coast Guard that have been deployed in the sea at far-flung areas to conduct various charter of duties. The induction of the Urja Pravaha will also be optimizing the operational capability of the Indian Coast Guard.

What is an Auxiliary Barge?

An Auxiliary Barge is a Naval ship that has been designed with the purpose of operating in support of all the combatant ships. Auxiliary barges or ships are not the primary combatant vessels of a Navy but they may have limited combat capacity mainly for the purposes of self-defense. Auxiliary ships or barges are very important as they support the primary fleet of a country’s Navy and hence an extensive fleet of such ships is maintained by the Navy.