PM Modi commissions 3 indigenously built naval ships

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three indigenously built naval ships at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata on June 22.

• The PM commissioned stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, survey vessel INS Sanshodhak and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft INS Agray.

• These state-of-the-art platforms will significantly enhance the nation’s operational capabilities, maritime security against geopolitical threats, and domain awareness.

• All three ships were designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Kolkata-based defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.

INS Dunagiri

• INS Dunagiri (Yard 3023) is the fifth Project 17A stealth frigate of Nilgiri class and second of the class built at Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).

• Dunagiri is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Dunagiri, a Leander-class frigate, that was part of the Indian Navy fleet from May 1977 to October 2010, rendering 33 years of glorious service to the nation. 

• It was named after a mountain range in Uttarakhand.

• It is equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, including BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile system, significantly enhancing the Navy’s combat capability.

• It is designed by Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by Warship Overseeing Team (Kolkata).

• With an indigenisation content of 75 per cent, the project has involved over 200 MSMEs and has enabled employment generation of approximately 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly.

• Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.

• P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite compared to the P17 (Shivalik) class.

• These ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft, and state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

INS Sanshodhak

• INS Sanshodhak, the fourth survey vessel (large), is designed for coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys and collection of oceanographic and geophysical data for defence and civil applications, and is equipped with advanced survey systems.

• The SVL was built at GRSE, Kolkata and delivered to the Indian Navy on March 30, 2026.

• The contract for four survey vessel (large) ships was signed on October 30, 2018. The previous ships of the same class, INS Sandhayak, INS Nirdeshak and INS Ikshak were commissioned in February 2024, December 2024 and November 2025, respectively.

• The SVL ships are designed and built as per classification rules of Indian Register of Shipping. 

• The ship is capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic survey of port/harbour approaches and determination of navigational channels/routes. 

• The ship’s role also includes collecting oceanographic and geophysical data for defence and civil applications.

• With a displacement of about 3,400 tonnes and an overall length 110 meters, Sanshodhak is fitted with state-of-the-art hydrographic equipment such as Data Acquisition and Processing System, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, DGPS long-range positioning systems, Digital Side Scan Sonar, etc. 

• Powered by two diesel engines, the ship can achieve speeds in excess of 18 knots.

INS Agray

• INS Agray is the fourth of eight Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, indigenously designed and built by GRSE, Kolkata.

• It is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers, and shallow-water sonar systems to detect and engage underwater threats in littoral waters.

• The ASW SWCs have been designed and constructed in accordance with the Classification Rules of the Indian Register of Shipping.

• These ships, approximately 77 metres in length, are the largest Indian naval warships propelled by waterjets.

• The ship is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Agray, the fourth of the 1241 PE Class of Patrol Vessels, decommissioned in 2017, thereby continuing the naval tradition of perpetuating distinguished legacy names.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)