Page 209 - MDSL Final

THE ENABLERS OF MARITIME POWER

DND Staff Designing a Craft for SLN
Naval Boat Building Yard (NBBY)

In 1985, the Navy introduced the Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC) concept to
carry out operations in lagoons and shallow waters by using shallow
draft boats powered by petrol driven Outboard Motors (OBMs). Due
to high operating cost, frequent breakdowns of OBMs and limited time
between overhauls, in 1987, the first Water Jet IPC driven by inboard
diesel engines was introduced to the Navy.

The achievement of higher speeds, better manoeuvrability and reliability
of the craft, created an immediate impact on operations carried out in
coastal shallow waters and lagoons. Due to escalating cost of new boats a
pilot project was launched in 1998 to refurbish the first generation IPC by
converting them to inboard diesel engines and water jets. The success of
this project by way of cost and performance encouraged SLN to consider
in-house boat building. The engineering staff took up a challenge in
building a new class of IPC to meet the customised requirements of the
fleet. This was the foundation of the Inshore Patrol Craft Construction
Project (IPCCP) the predecessor of NBBY which was established in year
2000 at Welisara, in Colombo. During the Humanitarian Operation

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 189