New Delhi, Feb 27 (.) Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Friday commissioned INS Anjadip, the Indian Navy’s fourth indigenously designed Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at Chennai, asserting that India’s rise as a developed nation will be fundamentally shaped by maritime power and security.

Recalling India’s deep maritime heritage from the Coromandel Coast, he noted, “Over a millennium ago, the great Cholas set sail from these very shores across the Bay of Bengal to distant lands, a reminder that India’s engagement with the seas is deeply rooted in our civilisational experience.”
Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Navy Chief said, “India has always been a maritime civilisation. Today our security and prosperity are linked to oceans,” adding that India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047 would be shaped at, by, and from the seas, and I call it a maritime voyage.”
Highlighting the legacy behind the ship’s name, he said INS Anjadip succeeds the Petya-class corvette that served the Navy for nearly three decades and carries forward a historic legacy linked to naval operations during Goa’s liberation. “That spirit of resolve, valour, bold action, and safeguarding national maritime interests at any cost is the enduring legacy that this Anjadip carries forward,” he said.
Emphasising the growing strategic relevance of the Indian Ocean Region, Admiral Tripathi observed, “Scholars and practitioners alike have often described the 21st century as a Maritime Century. And the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will probably be at the epicentre of this Maritime Century.”
He pointed out that nearly 2.9 billion people live along the IOR littorals, while a majority of global oil and container traffic transits through these waters.
Warning of emerging maritime vulnerabilities, he said, “Even small disruptions at sea can produce disproportionate strategic consequences,” citing the Red Sea crisis where freight rates surged by “as much as 300 to 350 per cent,” impacting global supply chains.
Referring to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, he added that even precautionary disruptions caused Brent crude prices to rise sharply within a single trading session.
Detailing operational deployments, the CNS said, “Since October 2023, our deployments in the Red Sea have enabled the safe transit of nearly 400 merchant vessels carrying approximately 16.5 million metric tonnes of oil and cargo worth over seven billion US dollars bound for India.”
He added that Indian naval ships continue to operate alongside partner navies to enhance regional stability and interoperability.
Underscoring naval modernisation, Admiral Tripathi stated, “During the year 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned 12 warships and one submarine… and we plan to induct about 15 more ships in 2026, marking the highest rate of induction in our history.”
Calling INS Anjadip a major capability addition, he said, “Today’s commissioning… marks a substantive strengthening of our under-sea warfare capability, particularly in the coastal and littoral waters of the Eastern Seaboard.”
The vessel, he noted, is equipped with “state-of-the-art shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and Combat Management System,” engineered for agility and combat effectiveness.
. PWS VAN RSA