Chennai: The Indian Navy on Monday received ‘Anjadip’, the third of eight ASW SWC (Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft), designed and built indigenously at Kolkata, an official said.
The ship is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Anjadip, a Petya class Corvette decommissioned in 2003, and promises to boost the Navy’s anti-submarine, coastal surveillance and mine-laying capabilities.
The ship derives its name from Anjadip Island, located off the coast of Karwar, Karnataka, underscoring India’s commitment to safeguarding its expansive maritime domain, said the Ministry of Defence in a statement.
The ASW SWC ships have been designed and constructed as per the Classification Rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) under a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), thus demonstrating the success of collaborative defence manufacturing.
These ships, at about 77 metres in length, are the largest Indian Naval warships propelled by Waterjets and are equipped with state-of-the-art Lightweight Torpedoes, indigenously designed Anti-Submarine Rockets and shallow water SONAR, enabling effective detection and engagement of underwater threats.
Anjadip’s delivery is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for indigenous shipbuilding, upholding the government’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ with over 80 per cent indigenous content.
The ship stands as a testament to the growing domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem and reducing dependency on imports, said a statement.
Last month, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first of the indigenously-designed and built Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), during a ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
The event, hosted by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, was presided over by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, with senior naval officers, representatives from Cochin Shipyard and distinguished guests in attendance.
This event reflected unprecedented synergy, mutual trust and seamless jointness shaping today’s Indian Armed Forces – a powerful symbol of how our services stand together, think together and move together towards a future-ready, fully integrated force, said the Ministry of Defence.
The ship took her name from the historic coastal town of Mahe on the Malabar Coast. The town’s maritime heritage and tranquil estuary mirror the ship’s balance of elegance and strength.
(IANS)
