The Indian Navy launched the Indian Naval Ship (INS) “Arnala”, the first of eight indigenously built anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC) [Yard 3029] at the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) shipbuilding facility in Kattupalli, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- It has been built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, West Bengal.
Importance: ‘INS Arnala’ (Yard 3029)
The ship’s name, “Arnala,” honours the strategic maritime significance that maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave to the island of Arnala, which is located about 13 km north of Vasai in Maharashtra.
ii. “INS Arnala” had its first contact with the waters of the Bay of Bengal during a launch ceremony chaired by Rasika Choubey, Financial Advisor (Defence Services) to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
- Choubey inaugurated the ship with chanting of Atharva Vedic mantras in line with naval maritime tradition.
iii. The “Arnala” class of ships will replace the “Abhay” class ASW ships of the Indian Navy.
- These are designed to perform low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) such as underwater surveillance in coastal waters and anti-submarine operations in coastal waters.
Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) Project
In April 2019, MoD and GRSE, Kolkata agreed on an agreement to build eight ASW-SWC vessels.
- GrSE is building eight ASW-SWCs for the Indian Navy as per the deal.
ii. Once completed, these ‘Silent Hunters’ will be a powerful force multiplier, improving the Indian Navy’s ability to identify hostile submarines in coastal waters.
- These ships are 77.6 meters long and 10.5 meters wide.
- They can travel 1800 nautical miles (NM) and have a maximum speed of 25 knots.
iii. The ships, powered by three diesel-powered water jets, will be able to carry out full-scale subsurface surveillance of coastal seas as well as search and attack.
iv. The ASW SWC vessels will have more than 80% indigenous material, ensuring that defence production is carried out on a large scale by Indian manufacturing companies, creating jobs and capabilities in India.
Recent related news:
On November 26, 2022, the third of the four Survey Ships (Large) (SVL) project ‘Ikshak’) was launched at Kattupalli in Chennai (Tamil Nadu). It is being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the Indian Navy.
About Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE):
GRSE is the premier warship manufacturing company in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) – Commodore (Retired) PR Hari
Incorporation – 1976
Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal