Navy to induct coastal submarine-hunter Mangrol, multi-purpose vessel Samarthak this week

The Indian Navy will commission its third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), INS Mangrol, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai later today. The ceremony will be presided over by Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, and attended by senior naval officers, defence ministry officials, representatives of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), and industry partners.

Built by CSL in Kochi with more than 80 percent indigenous content, Mangrol is designed to detect and counter underwater threats in coastal and shallow waters, where larger warships face operational constraints. The vessel is equipped with the Abhay hull-mounted sonar, lightweight torpedoes, an indigenous anti-submarine rocket launcher, and the Mareech advanced torpedo decoy system.

Three diesel engines driving waterjet propulsion give it high manoeuvrability for operations close to shore. It can also support underwater surveillance, low-intensity maritime operations, and certain mine-warfare tasks, and is intended to work with maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, and other warships.

Named after the coastal town and fishing harbour of Mangrol in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, the ship continues the name of a former minesweeper, INS Mangrol (M85), which served until its decommissioning on 7 April 2004. Naval officials described the induction as strengthening the service’s ability to protect ports, harbours, and coastal approaches amid evolving underwater threats, while advancing self-reliance under the government’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat programmes.

Multi-purpose vessel Samarthak

The commissioning follows the delivery in late August of Samarthak, the first Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) constructed by Larsen & Toubro at its Kattupalli yard. Samarthak willbe commissioned later this week.

Handed over on 27 August 2026, the ship has more than 75 percent indigenous content and has been conceived primarily as a versatile trial and evaluation platform. It is also capable of maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling, and support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations when required.

Named Samarthak, meaning “the proponent”, the vessel is presented as a dependable enabler across multiple roles rather than a single-purpose warship. Its delivery was described by the Navy as another milestone in indigenous shipbuilding and a contribution to a more self-sustaining domestic defence industrial base.

Together, the two vessels form part of a broader expansion of the Navy’s smaller and specialised craft. While Mangrol focuses on anti-submarine warfare in the littoral zone, Samarthak expands the service’s capacity for trials, surveillance, and flexible support missions.