Kolkata: The breaking of the commissioning pennant on the masthead of the INS Arnala with the last note of the National Anthem, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, added yet another glorious chapter to the annals of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.
The INS Arnala, built by GRSE, is the first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) to be commissioned in the Indian Navy. It has the distinction of being the largest diesel engine-waterjet propelled warship to be inducted by the Indian Navy till now.
The chief guest at the ceremony was Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Among the others present were Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Rajaram Swaminathan, CWP&A, Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, ADG Donny Michael, Coast Guard Commander (Eastern Seaboard) and other senior officials from Indian Navy & GRSE.
GRSE is building seven more ASW SWCs for the Navy. The INS Arnala is special as it was for this warship that GRSE was awarded the Raksha Mantri’s Award 2022, for designing the ‘most silent ship’. Commissioning of this warship will add a shot in the arm for the Indian Navy with respect to its Shallow Water ASW capabilities. The ship was constructed through a PPP model, a first of its kind in India, where a major PSU shipyard like GRSE collaborated with a capable private shipyard, L&T Kattupalli.
INS Arnala will add necessary punch to the Indian Navy’s capability to patrol coastal areas where enemy submarines could be lurking. The ship has been named after an island with a historic fort, off the Maharashtra Coast. It has over 80% indigenous content, underscoring GRSE’s commitment towards the Government of India’s Aatmanirbharta and ‘Make in India’ policies.
Though smaller in size as compared to Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvettes of the Kamorta Class built and delivered to the Navy by GRSE earlier, the 77.6-metre-long and 10.5-metre-wide ASW SWCs pack a punch. They are capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters as well as Search and Attack. They can also carry out coordinated anti-submarine operations with aircraft. These ships have Combat Management Systems on board and will be armed with lightweight torpedoes as well as anti-submarine warfare rockets. These ships will have a complement of 57 personnel, including seven officers.
With three water jets (fitted to marine diesel engines), the INS Arnala is extremely agile and maneuverable. A great advantage is that it requires a draught of only 2.7-metres, allowing it to access the coasts easily in search of sub-surface threats.
In his address, General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, congratulated the Chairman & Managing Director of GRSE and the talented and committed workforce of the shipyard for delivering a capable and combat worthy asset to the nation. He expressed confidence that the ship, equipped with superior anti-submarine warfare and mine-laying capabilities, would play a crucial role in safeguarding India’s vast coastline. He noted that the carefully selected weapons and sensors would make the vessel a highly potent platform and a force enabler for effective fleet operations. As the first of its class, he remarked, its performance would set a benchmark for the subsequent ships in the series.
In his address during the occasion, Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, highlighted the shipyard’s expertise in building the most complex and technologically advanced warships for the Indian Navy.
GRSE is now building 16 more warships, including three P17A advanced stealth frigates, seven ASW SWCs, two Survey Vessels Large and four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels. GRSE is also building four research vessels, 13 hybrid ferries for the Government of West Bengal and eight multi-purpose cargo vessels for a German company. GRSE has also emerged the lowest bidder for the Next Generation Corvettes that the Navy wants to acquire.
