Keel laid for the first warship of the ASW SWC Project at CSL, Kochi
New Delhi, August 31, 2022
Vice-Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, performed the keel laying of the first warship (BY 523, Mahe) of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Craft (ASW SWC) project under construction by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi on Tuesday.
Madhu S Nair, CMD, CSL, Commodore V Ganapathy, WPS (Koc) CSL, Directors and other senior officials of CSL and Indian Navy were present at the ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Admiral appreciated CSL’s efforts in achieving the milestone despite COVID constraints and resultant lockdowns. He called it a noteworthy achievement by the shipyard and commended the professionalism displayed by all.
The construction of these vessels will be a major boost for the ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ commitments. Keel laying is a major milestone activity in the shipbuilding process that paves the way for the amalgamation of various blocks toward a fully constructed ship, he said.
These platforms will undertake sub-surface surveillance in coastal areas to detect and neutralize underwater threats, he added.
Madhu Nair, in his address, said despite several challenges posed by the pandemic during the execution of this complex project, the shipyard has ensured continuous production of ships through innovative solutions. He thanked the Indian Navy for their unstinted support and reiterated the shipyard’s commitment to delivering quality ships on time.
Meanwhile, steel cutting of the sixth and seventh ships (BY 528 and BY 529) of the ASW SWC project was also undertaken on Tuesday.
The steel cutting event and commencement of fabrication is the culmination of the preparatory process and kickstarts the construction phase of the ships.
Being a potent anti-submarine platform, the ships will further enhance the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy and serve the nation in safeguarding its maritime interests, an official press release added.
NNN
