The Indian Navy Anjadip in city to boost littoral zone security

CHENNAI: The Indian Navy is set to strengthen its coastal defence by commissioning INS Anjadip at the Chennai port here on February 27 (Friday). This is the third of eight vessels being built under the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft project.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, Anjadip is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically designed to address the challenges of "littoral combat environment", the coastal and shallow waters vital for the nation's security, an official release said on Wednesday.

The 77-metre-long ship features a high-speed water-jet propulsion system, enabling it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots for rapid response and sustained operations.

The vessel is engineered to act as a 'Dolphin Hunter', focused on the detection, tracking and neutralisation of enemy submarines in coastal areas. The ship is packed with an indigenous, cutting-edge Anti-Submarine Warfare weapons and sensor package, including the hull-mounted sonar Abhay, and armed with Lightweight Torpedoes and ASW Rockets, the release said.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, is scheduled to take part in the commissioning ceremony on Friday.

The induction of 'Anjadip', named after the island off the coast of Karwar (North Karnataka in the Arabian Sea), bolsters the Navy's capacity to safeguard India's vast maritime interests and the coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the release said.

Besides its Anti-Submarine Warfare role, the warship is also equipped to take up Coastal Surveillance, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations and Search and Rescue operations, it added.