In order to strengthen the programme on Coastal Ocean Monitoring & Prediction System (COMAPS), two Coastal Research Vessels are under acquisition. These vessels will facilitate collection of samples at all desired locations. Laboratory facilities along with analytical instruments are also built in for onboard analysis of mandatory parameters. The vessels are under construction and expected to be delivered in August/September, 1996. The vessels are equipped with hydrographic, coring and trawling winches. Some of the scientific instruments which will be kept on board the vessel include Auto analyser, Spectrophotometer, Spectrofluorimeter and single and multi-beam echosounders. The vessels have been indigenously designed by the National Ship Design & Research Centre, Visakhapatnam and one vessel naming Sagar Paschmi is being built by M/s Alcock Ashdown, Gujarat and the other vessel naming Sagar Purvi is being built by Corporated Consultancy & Engineering Enterprise (Pvt.) Ltd., Calcutta. The vessels will be managed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Madras and run by a private shipping company.