India commissions three new vessels
The INS Nilgiri, the first of a new class of stealth frigates. (Photo: Indian Navy)
The new vessels, Nilgiri, Surat and Vagsheer, will be deployed to protect vital trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian Navy (IN) has commissioned three vessels simultaneously, impacting the strength and breadth of its fleet.
INS Nilgiri, the lead ship of the Project 17A stealth frigate class, was commissioned on 15 January. The Surat, the fourth and final ship of the Project 15B stealth destroyer class, and the Vagsheer, the sixth and final submarine of the Project P75 Scorpene class, were the other two ships commissioned yesterday.
All three vessels were indigenously designed and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, as India attempts to enhance its self-reliance in military shipbuilding.
The INS Nilgiri will be the
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