The Ministry of Defense said in a press release that the second ship of the Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyers, Y 12705 (Mormugao), was delivered to the Indian Navy on Thursday. The ship was constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
On January 28, 2011, the contract for four Project 15B ships was signed. This project is a continuation of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers that were commissioned in the previous decade. The main ship of the project, INS Visakhapatnam, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 21 November.
According to the ministry, the four ships of the project are named after prominent cities in the four corners of the country: Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. They were designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, and built by M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai.
“The keel of Mormugao was laid in June 2015 and the ship was launched on 17 Sep 2016. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment and major weapons & sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production,” the ministry stated.
The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide. When it is fully loaded, it can carry 7400 tonnes and can go as fast as 30 knots, according to the defence ministry. In addition to several indigenous ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ equipment, the destroyer is equipped with under-mentioned major indigenous weapons. Approximately 75% of the total content of the project is indigenous.
As part of the commemoration of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ the delivery of the Mormugao demonstrates the Government of India and the Indian Navy’s commitment to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat,’ the ministry said.
“The early induction of the destroyer, almost 03 months prior to the contractual date, despite the COVID challenges, is a tribute to the collaborative efforts of large number of stakeholders and would enhance the maritime prowess of the country in the Indian Ocean Region,” the ministry added.
(Inputs: Press Information Bureau)
Edited by Tanmoy Mitra