Launch of INS Vindhyagiri a move forward in enhancing India’s maritime capability: Prez Murmu

Kolkata: Describing the launch of advanced Frigate INS Vindhyagiri at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) as a move forward in enhancing India’s maritime capability, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said Vindhyagiri is also a step towards achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat in shipbuilding.
It was an iconic moment for GRSE Ltd as this was for the first time that a ship being built by an Indian shipbuilder was launched by the President, also the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces.
The INS Vindhyagiri is the last in the series of three P17 Alpha being built for the Navy by the Kolkata-based shipyard.
The President in her address said, “This launch marks a move forward in enhancing India’s maritime capability. Vindhyagiri is also a step towards achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat in shipbuilding. ”
She acknowledged the skill and tireless efforts of team GRSE to achieve the milestone of delivering more than 100 warships.
She highlighted the strategic location of Kolkata making it vital for “our naval preparedness in safeguarding our maritime interests and maintaining regional stability”.
The President emphasised the importance of the oceans for India’s well-being and growth towards becoming the third largest economy in the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral P Hari Kumar stated that the Indian Navy has embarked on a mission of ‘Atmanirbharta’ and the navy shall be investing thousands of crores in the shipbuilding sector which will be enhancing the capacity and capability of Indian shipyards and those employed in the ancillary industry.
He said, “Vindhyagiri will be a versatile and powerful tool that supports the larger national vision as well as ensure safe secure and prosperous global commons for all. So, while the Giris will contribute to the nation’s role of ensuring ‘Rashtra ki Suraksha’ these ships also will be flag bearers of how the navy also fulfills ‘Rashtra ki Akaansha’.”
The CNS reiterated Indian Navy’s unequivocal commitment to be a fully Atmanirbhar navy by 2047 to support the national vision of transforming into a developed nation in this Kartavyakal.
He added, “Supporting us in the endeavor is Garden Reach Shipyard and Engineers Limited a close and valued partner of the Indian Navy for decades. The shipyard grew significantly over the years and has a good track record in building complex warships. This was underscored by the launch of Himgiri on December 20, Dunagiri in July 2022 and within a short period of 12 months, today’s launch of Vindyagiri. I would like to congratulate the CMD staff and particularly all workers of GRSE the direct general warship designer bureau and the warship production supreme team for their commendable effort in achieving this crucial milestone. I am sure the yard will strive forward, ensure timely commissioning of the ship, and continue to support the navy in delivering reliable high quality and combat worthy ships”.
Cmde P R Hari said “ For us every launch is special. Launch symbolises the birth of a ship but this launch is unique. This beautiful warship in front of you is singularly lucky to have the honour of being named and launched at the hands of none other than the Honourable President of India, the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces. Therefore I would like to term this launch as a mother of all warship launches.”
He emphasised GRSE’s growth starting from 1960 as a DPSU when the shipyard delivered India’s first indigenously built warship INS Ajay in 1961 and has now grown into a mature modern and future ready shipyard that can build small 2.15 metre unmanned vessels to the most advanced and complex weapon intensive warships.
The CMD GRSE acknowledged the role of all stakeholders in building the ship and said, “ For making this launch a reality, a launch with over 37% physical progress of construction, over 60% in terms of displacement as compared to the light ship displacement, I must place on record our appreciation to all our stakeholders, the Indian Navy ,the warship design bureau, The Warship Overseas Team Kolkata, the Professional Directorates of Naval Headquarters, our industry Partners, the OEM and last but not the least team GRSE , all the stakeholders from GRSE officers supervisors, the operatives, support staffs and the contracted workforce. ”
The three Nilgiri Class frigates were ordered for approximately Rs 19,200 crore, the largest ever contract being executed by GRSE.
The first and second ship of the series INS Himgiri and INS Dunagiri respectively are presently undergoing outfitting at GRSE. To improve quality and shorten build times, P17A Advanced Frigates are being constructed using an Integrated Construction Methodology and improved pre-outfitting.
The second ship of this series, INS Dunagiri, was launched on July 15, 2022. Launching of two warships of this size and complexity in just over a year speaks volumes about GRSE’s capabilities as a premier defence shipbuilder.
These ships have a length of 149 metres and a displacement of over 6670 Tons. Their cutting-edge CODOG Propulsion systems allow for speeds of over 28 knots. These frigates are a follow-up of the Shivalik Class (Project P-17) that are already in service with the Navy.
The ships under Project 17 Alpha will be far more advanced than any frigate ever operated by the Indian Navy. They are equipped with powerful weapon & sensor packages capable of neutralising threats in all three dimensions – Air, Surface & Sub-surface.
Another distinctive feature of Project 17A is that construction is being carried out by GRSE simultaneously with MDL, based on the basic design created by the Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy. An intelligent PDM PLM system is also being implemented to manage the project and aid in its life cycle management.
The Indian Navy had six ‘Nilgiri’ Class frigates which were in service between 1972 and 2012. The INS Vindhyagiri, last of that Class was commissioned on July 8, 1981 and decommissioned on June 14, 2012. It was reborn today as the INS Vindhyagiri, a P17A frigate.