Mumbai, Oct 12 (PTI) Mangrol, the Indian Navy’s third anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC), was commissioned here on Monday, a step expected to strengthen the force’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, particularly in coastal waters where larger warships face operational limitations.
Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, the ship can operate alongside maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and other warships to detect and counter submarine threats.
Its induction will enhance the Navy’s ability to protect ports, harbours and coastal approaches while supporting wider fleet operations.
Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, who presided over the event, said the commissioning of INS Mangrol assumes particular significance against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and an increasingly contested maritime environment.
The seas are no longer merely avenues for trade and connectivity but also arenas of strategic competition, technological change and emerging security challenges, he said.
For India, with its extensive coastline, islands and vital maritime trade routes, the ability to maintain a credible, responsive and combat-ready Navy is indispensable, Vatsayan added.
U Sharan Kumar, Commanding Officer of INS Mangrol, said the Indian Ocean region is geopolitically very, very important, adding that deployment of submarines by many foreign countries has increased tremendously over the years.
So underwater threats, the chance of underwater threats and the requirement to detect and neutralize them have become far more important than what it was before, Kumar added.
“So in this spectrum of events, INS Mangrol will play a crucial role in strengthening Navy’s defence in particular and maritime interest of India on the whole,” Kumar said.
He said the underwater domain is always a very, very challenging domain.
“Like over the surface, one cannot see what is underwater. Therefore, the first challenge is going to be in detecting something underwater. Second is classifying what is underwater. Third is prosecuting what is underwater,” he said.
“This is a very niche domain. Not many countries in the world have the capability to undertake these kinds of operations. India is one of the very few countries able to do this operation. And INS Mangrol will be playing a very vital role in doing so,” Kumar said.
He further said INS Mangrol can also operate in shallow waters, something which larger warships cannot.
Citing its versatility, he said the ship can be used for Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO). “Therefore, we can say that the ship is going to be strengthening the Navy’s strength in a multi-dimensional way,” Kumar said.
The ship’s induction also reflects India’s growing indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.
Named after Mangrol, a coastal town and prominent fishing harbour in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, the ship carries forward the legacy of the erstwhile INS Mangrol (M85), a minesweeper that served the Indian Navy until April 2004.
The naming of the ship continues the Navy’s tradition of preserving the legacy of its former warships.
Built with over 80 per cent indigenous content, Mangrol reflects India’s growing capabilities in warship design, construction and integration of advanced weapons and sensors, the Navy said.
Designed to detect and counter underwater threats in coastal and shallow waters, Mangrol is equipped with modern weapons and sensors, including the Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar, lightweight torpedoes, an indigenous anti-submarine rocket launcher and the Maareech Advanced Torpedo Decoy System.
Powered by three diesel engines with waterjet propulsion, the ship offers high manoeuvrability for operations in shallow waters. It is also capable of undertaking underwater surveillance, low-intensity maritime operations and mine warfare-related tasks.
Vatsayan said the Indian Navy’s fleet expansion reflects strategic imperative. It has commissioned 10 ships in 2026, with another eight likely to be commissioned by end of this year.
“We currently have 151 platforms, comprising 131 ships and 20 submarines. We presently have 42 ships under construction at Indian shipyards with Acceptance of Necessity accorded for another 69 Ships, six submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft,” Vatsayan said.
The Navy’s fleet is projected to grow to over 170 platforms in the next few years, with a new ship being commissioned every 40 to 50 days, the Vice Admiral added. PTI PR VT ARU BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.