Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) today marked another significant milestone in its shipbuilding journey with the launch of the seventh Anti-Submarine Warfare vessel ‘Machilipatnam’, in a series of eight being constructed for the Indian Navy.
The ship was launched by Smt Goolrukh Anand and the ceremony was graced by Vice Admiral Atul Anand, PVSM, AVSM, VSM as the Chief Guest. Shri Jose VJ, Chairman and Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Dr. Harikrishnan S, Dir (Ops) and Shri Rajesh Gopalakrishnan, Dir (Tech), CSL, Rear Admiral Deepak Singhal, VSM, CSO (Trg), HQSNC, Dr. C Pandi Selva Durai, IOFS, CVO, CSL, Senior officials of Southern Naval Command and IHQ MoD(N), Cmde Anup Menon, WPS (Kochi) and representatives of the Classification Society were present.
The launch of the seventh vessel underscores the steady progress of the prestigious project and reflects the close collaboration between Cochin Shipyard Limited and the Indian Navy in strengthening the nation’s maritime capabilities. The ship is being built with a strong focus on quality, safety, and timely execution, reaffirming CSL’s commitment to supporting the Government of India’s vision of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and enhancing indigenous naval shipbuilding capabilities.
The ASW SWC ships are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations including subsurface surveillance. The Yard BY 529 has been named after old port city ‘Machilipatnam’ along India’s east coast located in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.
The vessel is 78.0 m long, 11.36 m wide with a draught of about 2.7 m. The displacement is about 900 tons, with a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of 1800 nautical miles. The ships are designed to fit indigenously developed and built state-of-the-art Hull Mounted Sonar and Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar for underwater surveillance in line with Government policy of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
