L&T Kattupalli
Chennai: ‘Amini’, the Arnala class ship which is the fourth of the 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (SWC) Project being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy, was launched today at L&T, at its Greenfield Defence shipyard on the east coast at Kattupalli, near Chennai.
“Launch of four ships of the same class within a year highlights our strides in indigenous shipbuilding, towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat,” the Defence Ministry stated. The third ship of the class was launched on June 13, 2023 at L&T, Kattupalli.
The first ship of the project is planned to be delivered in early 2024. The ASW SWC ships will have over 80% indigenous content, thereby ensuring that large-scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and capability enhancement within the country.
The ship launched today 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 launch ceremony was presided over by Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel. In keeping with maritime tradition, his wife Manju Naithani launched the ship to the invocation from Atharva Veda.
The contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 29 Apr 19. As per the build strategy, four ships are being built at GRSE, Kolkata and the balance of four ships are subcontracted to L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli for hull and part outfitting.
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 77m long ASW SWC ships with a displacement of 900 tons have a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of approximately 1800 Nautical Miles.
– global bihari bureau
