NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Wednesday commissioned INS Malvan, the second Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka, strengthening its coastal anti-submarine capabilities amid growing underwater activity in the Indian Ocean Region.
The commissioning ceremony was presided over by Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), INS Malvan is an 80-metre-long warship with a displacement of more than 1,100 tonnes. Designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare in coastal and shallow waters, the vessel is also capable of supporting low-intensity maritime operations and mine warfare missions.
With more than 80 per cent indigenous content, the vessel reflects India’s growing self-reliance in the design, construction and integration of naval warships under the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Addressing the ceremony, Air Chief Marshal Singh highlighted the importance of joint operations among the armed forces.
“No future war is going to be fought by an individual service. Whether we are in the Air Force, Navy, Army or allied services, we have to fight together as one nation. Only then will we succeed,” he said.
He added that greater integration among the services, particularly after the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has strengthened India’s defence preparedness and would continue to do so.
The Air Chief also stressed the strategic importance of securing sea lines of communication to ensure uninterrupted maritime trade, describing them as essential to India’s economic growth amid an increasingly uncertain global security environment.
He further praised the Indian Navy’s practice of embedding naval officers into the shipbuilding process, suggesting that a similar model could accelerate self-reliance across the broader defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Named after the historic coastal town of Malvan in Maharashtra, the warship honours the region’s maritime heritage associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It also carries forward the legacy of the earlier INS Malwan, which served the Indian Navy until 2003.
The ship’s crest features the Bagh Nakha (Tiger’s Claw), symbolising courage, agility, stealth and decisive action—qualities intended to reflect the vessel’s operational role.
The induction of INS Malvan forms part of the Navy’s broader effort to strengthen anti-submarine warfare capabilities in response to the expanding submarine fleets of China and Pakistan. India plans to induct 16 specialised ASW-SWCs, comprising eight Arnala-class and eight Mahe-class vessels, to enhance surveillance and protect the country’s 11,098-km coastline.
The Indian Navy currently operates a fleet of around 145 warships and submarines and aims to expand it to approximately 200 vessels by 2035 as part of its long-term modernisation programme.
The Navy is also expected to induct nearly 50 additional warships and support vessels over the next three to four years to enhance maritime security amid increasing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and growing pressure on critical sea lanes.
