The delivery of the LSAM 13 (Yard 81), the fifth Missile Cum Ammunition (MCA) barge for the Indian Navy’s INS Tunir, was successfully undertaken on September 25, 2024. This barge is part of a larger project consisting of eight such vessels, which were contracted to be built by MSME Shipyard, specifically M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd, located in Visakhapatnam. The Induction Ceremony for this particular vessel was presided over by Cmdr C. Rami Reddy, the Commanding Officer of INS Tunir.
The contract for these barges was signed on February 19, 2021, indicating the Indian government’s continued investment in indigenous defense manufacturing as part of its ‘Make in India’ initiative. The vessels are designed to facilitate the transport, embarkation, and disembarkation of munitions and other supplies to various Naval platforms, both at jetties and in outer harbor settings. The design and construction were conducted in compliance with the relevant Naval Rules and Regulations set by the Indian Register of Shipping.
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