Mormugao, the desi giant sets out to protect water boundaries

Christened ‘Mormugao’, the vessel has been built by governmentrun Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B. 

Admiral Lanba’s wife Reena launched the bedecked ship at a function at MDL here at 11.58 am and it was released into the Arabian Sea for the first time. The vessel will undergo certain test required by Indian Navy and would be subsequently known as INS Mormugao. Four more such destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024, the PSU said in a statement. 

The first ship of the Visakhapatnam class was launched on April 20, 2015. Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. The warship is equipped with surface-tosurface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters. 

Addressing the function before the launch, Admiral Lanba said, “This ship serves the Make in India drive as it is indigenously built.” “It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO,” he said. 

Preliminary investigation in the Scorpene data leak case has found that the leak did not take place in India but at the office of defence company DCNS in France, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here on Saturday.

“There is a high-level committee which is inquiring into the Scorpene leak on our side,” Admiral Lanba said. Based on this inquiry, we will see what needs to be done,” he said.