From Naval Nodes To Nautical Notes: Inside INS Kardip On Kamorta Island In The ANC

INS Kardip: India’s Strategic Sentinel at the Malacca Gateway

Kamorta Island, Andaman & Nicobar — Bouncing across open ocean swells under overcast skies, a fast boat leaves Car Nicobar in its wake, carrying the Arc of Power documentary team toward our temporary floating home: the Indian Coast Guard Ship ICGS Vijit. In Episode 8, Amitabh P. Revi, Rohit Pandita & Vashisht Mattoo chart a course 150 kilometers (81 nautical miles) south across the Ten Degree Channel to INS Kardip. It’s a vital forward operating base of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) situated on Kamorta Island.

We pass historical landmarks like Chowra Island, the ancient capital of the Nicobar Islands, Tarasa Island and the rugged wildlife sanctuary of Tillangchong, home to the heat-incubating Nicobar megapode bird. ICGS Vijit, our second home away from home navigates into one of the world’s most impressive geographical formations.

The Natural Fortress of the Six Degree Channel

INS Kardip lies embedded within a U-shaped cluster formed by Kamorta, Trinkat, and Nancowry islands. This configuration creates a sheltered, deep-water natural harbour capable of accommodating submarines and shielding warships from severe tropical cyclones.

To understand Kardip’s strategic weight, one must examine its geographical position relative to global maritime chokepoints. Located over 1,500 kilometers from mainland ports like Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, or Chennai, Kardip is significantly closer to Southeast Asian capitals. It overlooks the Andaman funnel leading into the Strait of Malacca, where roughly 90,000 commercial vessels pass annually.

Near the Six Degree Channel, this narrow maritime corridor carries bulk oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to East Asia, representing nearly 80 percent of China’s energy imports. That’s the infamous ‘Malacca Dilemma.’ As Chinese spy ships and PLA Navy submarines step up patrols across the Indian Ocean Region, INS Kardip serves as an unsinkable platform for continuous maritime domain awareness.

Music, Healing, and the Story of Veronika

Stepping ashore at the Kamorta jetty after dusk, the tactical atmosphere shifts toward community outreach. Through rainy roads and dark stretches, the team travels to a local school in Chotta Inaka village, home to 178 residents, where INS Kardip’s medical team conducts healthcare camps.

Rather than a routine official gathering, the evening transforms into a cultural exchange. Local villagers express their gratitude through choral singing and acoustic performances, including youth renditions of popular Hindi melodies.

The bond between the navy and the islanders is personified by four-year-old Veronika. In November 2019, an emergency medical evacuation was launched for a pregnant villager in labour. During transit, the baby girl was safely delivered aboard one of the unit’s Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC). The base adopted Veronika, fully sponsoring her education through college at the naval primary school on Kamorta Island.

Muscle Memory at 35 Knots

At daylight, operational readiness takes center stage back at the Kamorta jetty. Demonstrating the tactical capabilities of the forward operating base, two Fast Interceptor Crafts (FICs) execute high-speed maritime maneuvers at 35 knots.

Simulating an anti-poaching and visit-board-search-and-seizure (VBSS) operation, one craft provides covering firepower while the other brings a boarding party alongside a suspect vessel. With piracy and armed robbery incidents in Asian waters rising—over 80 percent occurring around the Malacca Strait and Singapore—these repeated tactical drills sharpen the ANC’s quick-reaction response.

Resilient Tsunami Roots and the Road South

A short transit leads to Munack village, situated along a densely forested coastline. Here weathered tree stumps still mark the line where the catastrophic 2004 Tsunami reshaped the landscape. Despite historical tragedy, the Nicobarese continue their harmonious existence with the sea. They function as the primary eyes and ears across these remote island stretches.

The voyage continues further south toward Great Nicobar and Campbell Bay, the southernmost frontier of India’s maritime power. That’s in upcoming episodes.

Watch Episode 8 of the Arc of Power series on our sister channel StratNews Global. And explore the strategic depth of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.