Rajnath Singh Commissions First Pollution Control Vessel ICGS Samudra Pratap

The Raksha Mantri praised the Coast Guard’s expanding operational spectrum—from coastal cleanliness missions to advanced search and rescue, from maritime law enforcement to environmental defence.

Marking a landmark breakthrough in India’s quest for Aatmanirbharta in maritime engineering, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh today commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pratap, India’s first indigenously designed Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) and the largest ship in the Indian Coast Guard fleet to date. Built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with over 60% indigenous content, the vessel signals a decisive leap toward homegrown maritime innovation, environmental defence capability, and advanced naval platform integration.

Designed to deliver a multidimensional response—from oil-spill containment to firefighting, surveillance, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement—ICGS Samudra Pratap stands as the most technologically advanced environmental protection platform ever built in India.

A Modern Maritime Engineering Milestone

Calling the vessel "an embodiment of India’s mature defence industrial ecosystem," Shri Rajnath Singh noted India’s growing confidence in handling complex shipbuilding programmes and reiterated the Government’s goal to raise indigenous content in maritime vessels to 90%.

“ICGS Samudra Pratap is built for pollution control, but its real strength lies in its integrated capabilities,” he said. “It will enhance coastal patrol, expand maritime safety, and provide the agility needed to tackle present-day maritime threats."

Packed with Next-Generation Environmental Response Tech

ICGS Samudra Pratap features:

• Advanced pollution detection sensors and analytics

• Rapid-deployment oil spill response boats

• Modern fire suppression and emergency control systems

• A helicopter hangar and aviation support suite for extended aerial ops

• Stability systems enabling sustained operations in rough seas

These capabilities place India among a select group of nations equipped with high-end oil spill response and maritime environmental protection platforms.

Shri Rajnath Singh stressed that safeguarding the marine environment—coral reefs, mangroves, fisheries, biodiversity—is not only a strategic imperative but a moral duty, especially under escalating climate risks.

A Stronger, Smarter, Multi-Role Coast Guard

The Raksha Mantri praised the Coast Guard’s expanding operational spectrum—from coastal cleanliness missions to advanced search and rescue, from maritime law enforcement to environmental defence.

He emphasized that the ICG’s growing readiness sends a clear message to adversaries: India’s maritime borders are secure, and misadventures will be met with decisive response.

ICGS Samudra Pratap is a crucial part of this vision, enabling faster detection, precision station-keeping, and efficient recovery during pollution incidents, giving India a technological edge in real-time maritime crisis management.

Breaking New Ground: Women Officers on Board

In a first for a Pollution Control Vessel, the ship will be crewed by two women officers, reflecting India’s push toward inclusive, gender-neutral maritime operations.

Women officers are now active as pilots, air traffic controllers, logistics specialists, observers, and frontline operational leaders—signalling a fundamental shift in India’s maritime workforce architecture.

Driving Aatmanirbharta in Maritime Technology

Shri Rajnath Singh commended the Indian Coast Guard’s steady shift toward full-spectrum self-reliance:

• Indian-built ships and aircraft

• Indigenous servicing, repairs, and lifecycle support

• Rapid expansion of domestic maritime manufacturing

He stressed that the ICG must evolve from a platform-centric force to an intelligence-driven, integration-centric one, with new career streams in maritime cyber security, environmental protection, and law enforcement technologies.

India’s Global Maritime Role: From Regional Standard-Setter to Global Leader

Highlighting rising global maritime uncertainty, the Raksha Mantri said India has consistently protected the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing its reputation as a Responsible Maritime Power.

He called on the ICG to take its leadership global—by setting new norms for maritime governance, scaling capacity-building efforts, and exporting best practices.

Call-to-Action: A Platform for Tech Innovators, Green-Tech Leaders, and Maritime Startups

ICGS Samudra Pratap represents a pivotal opportunity for:

• environmental tech innovators

• ocean analytics firms

• autonomy and robotics developers

• maritime cybersecurity providers

• OEMs and system integrators

to partner with the Indian Coast Guard and Ministry of Defence in co-developing next-generation maritime technologies.

From AI-enabled pollution detection to autonomous spill-response systems, from predictive navigation to resilient marine infrastructure—India is now creating the ecosystem for early adopters to shape the future of sustainable, secure, intelligent oceans.

Industry, academia, and startups are invited to collaborate with GSL and the ICG to accelerate indigenous development, deploy pilot technologies, and turn India’s blue economy vision into a globally benchmarked success story.