Indian Navy to commission guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao on Sunday

New Delhi: Indigenously-built guided missile destroyer 'INS Mormugao' will be commissioned into the Indian Navy on Sunday, in a boost to its maritime capability amid China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean region.

The warship is packed with a plethora of sophisticated sensors, modern radar and weapons systems such as surface-to-surface missiles and surface-to-air missiles, according to the Indian Navy.   The majestic ship measuring 163 metres in length and 17 metres in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes can be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India, it said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to commission the ship at the naval dockyard in Mumbai.

Named after the historic Goan port city Mormugao, the ship undertook her first sea sortie on December 19 last year when Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from Portuguese rule.

INS Mormugao is the second of the four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.

The ship is propelled by four powerful gas turbines and it is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots.

The Navy said the ship is equipped to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and that it is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems.

The ship's anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters.

India has been focusing on bolstering its maritime capability with a focus on the Indian Ocean in the backdrop of concerns over China's growing forays into the region, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.

"A unique feature of this ship is the high level of indigenisation of approximately 75 per cent incorporated in the production, accentuating our national objective of 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat'," the Navy said.

"Some of the major indigenised equipment/system onboard Mormugao include surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, torpedo tubes and launchers, anti-submarine rocket launchers, super rapid gun mount," the Navy said in a statement.

With a clear focus on indigenisation and self-reliance, 42 out of the 44 ships and submarines under construction are being built in the Indian shipyards, the Navy said.

In addition, AoN (Acceptance of Necessity) has been accorded for 55 ships and submarines which will all be constructed in the Indian shipyards. The AoN is the formal approval for defence projects.

China is vying for influence in the strategic Indian Ocean region with substantial investments in ports and infrastructure investments in several countries, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka.