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India’s evolving security environment underscores the need for a strong maritime force, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti said on Tuesday, as the Indian Navy inducted new platforms aimed at sharpening its operational edge across domains.
Speaking at the launch of the first Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV) at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco, Vice Admiral Sobti said rising strategic competition and conflicts have reinforced the centrality of naval power. “The Indian Navy remains the prime manifestation of the country’s maritime power,” he noted.
Emphasising India’s maritime character, he said the nation’s geography, spanning a vast coastline, island territories in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and a large Exclusive Economic Zone, brings both responsibility and opportunity. “India’s identity as a maritime nation is defined by its geography and history,” he added.
The vessel launched on Tuesday, Yard 1280, has been named ‘Shachi’, the first of 11 NGOPVs being built indigenously. Construction is underway simultaneously at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata.
Designed for multi-role operations, the NGOPVs will bolster the Navy’s existing fleet of offshore patrol vessels. Their operational envelope includes coastal and offshore surveillance, protection of maritime assets, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and anti-piracy missions.
The ships are named after Indian mythology, with ‘Shachi’ symbolising assistance. Its crest features the Ursa Major constellation alongside a lighthouse motif.
Meanwhile, the Navy on Tuesday also took delivery of ‘Malwan’, the second of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW-SWCs), built by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
With over 80 per cent indigenous content, the platform is designed to enhance the Navy’s sub-surface warfare capabilities, including anti-submarine operations, mine warfare support and low-intensity maritime operations. Equipped with advanced sensors, torpedoes and ASW rockets, ‘Malwan’ is expected to play a key role in securing coastal waters.
The vessel is named after the historic coastal town associated with the maritime legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is the second ship to bear the name, with the earlier ‘Malwan’ having been decommissioned in 2003.
The twin developments mark a steady push towards self-reliance in naval shipbuilding while reinforcing the Navy’s capacity to address both conventional and asymmetric threats in the maritime domain.
Team BharatShakti
