Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy is set to commission INS Androth, the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at a ceremonial event scheduled on October 6 (Monday) at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

The commissioning of Androth marks yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s steady stride towards capability enhancement and indigenisation and significantly bolsters the navy’s ASW capabilities, especially in countering threats in littoral waters.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, Androth is a testimony to India’s growing maritime self-reliance. With over 80 percent of indigenous content, the ship underscores the navy’s commitment towards enhancing indigenous capability through innovative technologies and home-grown solutions and reflects sustained emphasis on indigenisation, innovation and capability enhancement, highlighting the vital role of GRSE in strengthening India’s maritime security landscape.

The induction is part of a larger momentum that has seen several state-of-the-art warships join the naval fleet in recent months.

Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will preside over the ceremony.

Together, these inductions in recent months, including Arnala, Nistar, Udaygiri, Nilgiri and now Androth epitomise the navy’s balanced growth across the spectrum of maritime operations and highlight the essence of 'Atma Nirbharta' with a high percentage of indigenous content, design expertise and home-grown innovation coming from Indian shipyards and industries.

In its previous version, (P69) served the nation with distinction for over 27 years before getting decommissioned. The commissioning of the new vessel honours the legacy and spirit of her predecessor.