'Amini', the fourth in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) projects built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy, was launched on Thursday at Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu.
The launch ceremony was presided over by Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel.
In keeping with maritime tradition, Sandeep Naithani's wife Manju Naithani, launched the ship to the invocation from Atharva Veda.
The ship has been named 'Amini' to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Amini at Lakshadweep, located about 400 km west of Kochi.
The 77m long ASW SWC ships with a displacement of 900 tons have a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of approx 1800 NM.
The third ship of the class was launched on June 13, 2023, at L&T, Kattupalli. Launch of four ships of the same class within a year highlights our strides in indigenous shipbuilding, towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat, a government release stated.
The release further stated that the contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on April 29, 2019.
As per the build strategy, four ships are being built at GRSE, Kolkata and the balance four ships were subcontracted to L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli, for hull and part outfitting.
The Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, as well as Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations, the release mentioned.
The release stated that the first ship of the project is planned to be delivered in early 2024.
The ASW SWC ships will have over 80 per cent indigenous content, thereby ensuring that large-scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and capability enhancement within the country, it added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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