INS MalvanThe 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.Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited with over 80% indigenous content, is part of the Navy's eight-vessel Mahe-class programme aimed at enhancing shallow-water surveillance and underwater defence.The commissioning ceremony was presided over by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, chief of the air staff, in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, flag officer commanding-in-chief of the western naval command.Senior naval officers, representatives of Cochin Shipyard Limited and veterans also attended the event, marking the induction of the first Indian naval warship to be commissioned at Karwar.Addressing the ceremony, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh underlined the importance of maritime security in safeguarding global trade and national prosperity."We all understand how maritime security is important for any nation, as maritime routes decide trade and trade decides its destiny. Indian Ocean region is important to us. Indian Navy is playing a vital role in ensuring secure sea lines of communication and trade continues unhindered. With 80% indigenous content in this warship, we will soon realise the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Indian Navy, right from the beginning, adopted this mantra, even though we (IAF) started very late on this track as various sectors take different speeds of time to grow."Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan described the commissioning of INS Malvan as another milestone in India's maritime journey and said the warship's more than 80% indigenous content reflected the country's growing self-reliance in defence manufacturing.He noted that INS Malvan is the first Indian naval ship to be commissioned at Karwar and the seventh warship inducted into the Navy this year, with another 12 vessels expected to join the fleet.About INS MalvanDesigned for operations in coastal and shallow waters, the class is intended to detect, track and engage enemy submarines while also undertaking coastal surveillance, search and rescue, and low-intensity maritime security operations.INS Malvan hasa displacement between 896 and 1,100 tonnes and length of 78 metres. The ships can achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots (45 km) and have a range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) at a speed of 14 knots (25 km), with an endurance of 14 days.They are propelled by three marine diesel engines producing 6 MW of power, each coupled with a water jet, making them the largest Indian Navy warships to use water-jet propulsion.Waterjet propulsion is one of the key features of INS Malvan. Instead of using conventional propellers, the system draws in water from beneath the hull and expels it at high speed through nozzles to propel the ship.This gives the warship better manoeuvrability, quicker acceleration and improved performance in shallow coastal waters. It also produces less underwater noise and reduces the risk of damage from underwater obstacles, making it well suited for anti-submarine warfare operations.The weapons suite of the Mahe-class reflects its primary mission. It includes a forward-mounted RBU-6000 rocket launcher, triple 324 mm lightweight torpedo tubes on both port and starboard sides armed with Advanced Light-Weight Torpedoes, and anti-submarine mine-laying rails.For defensive measures, the ships are fitted with Mahindra Defence Systems-supplied torpedo decoy launching systems as part of the Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare Defence Suite. Surface warfare capability is provided by a 30 mm naval gun and two 12.7 mm stabilized remote-controlled guns, the Indian variant of Elbit Systems’ Remote Controlled Naval Weapon Station. This mix of offensive and defensive systems ensures the vessels can operate independently in contested littoral zones.