Steel cutting ceremony of Anti-Submarine Warfare Crafts for Indian Navy held at Cochin Shipyard

SOURCE: INFOINDIA

Steel cutting ceremony of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASWSWCs) for Indian Navy was held on December 1, 2020 at Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi. Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy declared through video conferencing the commencement of steel cutting of first steel plate for Ship No. BY 523. The steel cutting ceremony is one of the initial milestones in the vessel construction process.

Madhu S. Nair, C&MD CSL delivered the welcome address. Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy addressed the gathering. Vice Admiral S R Sarma, Chief of Materiel, and other senior officials from the Integrated Naval Headquarters also participated through video conferencing. Senior officials of CSL and Warship Overseeing Team (WOT), Kochi, were also present at the function.

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), signed the contract for construction and supply of eight (08) Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASWSWCs) for Indian Navy on 30 Apr 2019 in a competitive bidding process. The order value for these eight (08) vessels is Rs6,311cr. The project is to be completed in 90 months from date of signing the contract.

These Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASWSWC’s) are designed for a speed of 25 knots and complement of 57 and capable of full scale sub surface surveillance of coastal waters and co-ordinated ASW operations with aircraft. In addition, the vessels will have the capability to interdict/destroy sub surface targets in coastal waters. They can also be deployed for day and night search and rescue in coastal areas. In their secondary role, they will be capable to sue intruding aircraft, and lay mines in the sea bed. The vessels will be equipped with highly advanced state-of-the-art integrated platform management systems, propulsion machinery, auxiliary machinery, power generation and distribution machinery and damage control machinery etc. The ASWSWC are also being built to International Classification Society rules, in addition to the owner specific requirements.

These technologically advanced vessels are designed and engineered indigenously and will be equipped with various payloads to cater to the vessels’ functions. The vessel will feature stringent signature and stealth technologies to avoid detection by submarines and other surveillance systems. Significant part of the payloads and solutions will be from Indian firms and these vessels once commissioned will showcase the country’s Atmanirbhar capabilities.

CSL is currently investing a total of Rs2,769cr in infrastructure augmentation by was of a new 310 Mtr long dry dock at Kochi and a ship lift based Ship Repair yard at Willingdon Island, Kochi.

CSL is expanding geographically and has commenced Ship Repair Units at Mumbai, Kolkata & Port Blair in addition to its Kochi facilities. CSL is also setting up fully owned subsidiary shipyards at Kolkata (named HCSL) and at Malpe, Karnataka (named TEBMA Shipyards Limited) to cater to the construction of small & medium sized vessels as well as vessels for the Inland Waterways.

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