CSL launches 2 anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts for Indian Navy

New Delhi/Kochi: Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on Monday has launched two Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWC) concurrently at its Kochi Yard facility. These vessels are the fourth and fifth in a series of eight under construction in CSL for the Indian Navy.

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After the ceremonial puja, the ships were launched by Vijaya Srinivas. The launching ceremony of these ships was carried out in the presence of Vice Admiral V Srinivas (AVSM, NM) from Indian Navy, who was present as the Chief Guest on the occasion. The Chairman and Managing Director of CSL, Directors of CSL, Senior officials of Indian Navy and CSL, Classification Society representatives were present on the occasion.

The contract to build these eight ASW SWC ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and CSL on April 30, 2019. These vessels, known as the Mahe Class, will replace the current Abhay Class ASW Corvettes in the Indian Navy. They are designed to perform anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), mine-laying missions, and subsurface surveillance.

The newly launched vessels, identified as Yard Nos. BY 526 and BY 527, will be named "INS Malpe" and "INS Mulki" upon commissioning. Each ship measures 78 meters in length, 11.36 meters in width, with a draught of 2.7 meters, and has a displacement of around 900 tons. The crafts are capable of reaching speeds of up to 25 knots and have an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles. They are also equipped with advanced, indigenously developed sonar systems for underwater surveillance.

The simultaneous launch of these two ships marks another significant milestone for CSL in its ongoing efforts to bolster India's naval defense capabilities.

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