The 21-metre long craft can achieve a speed of 45 knots per hour and hovering at a height of about 1.5 meters.
The air cushion vehicle is capable of undertaking multi-farious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/crafts in distress at sea, Coast Guard station Assistant Commandant Sonia Singh said here today.
The station already has two hovercraft and two ships and 15 boats.
The addition of the hovercraft would enable the coast guard station to provide quick response at times of emergencies involving ships, seafarers and fishermen in the Palk Strait besides keeping effective surveillance along the coast, officials said.
