What happened
INS Malvan was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Karwar on 22 July 2026. The ship is the second Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) and was built indigenously by Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi.
The commissioning was attended by senior military and naval leadership, including the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
Background and earlier position
The Indian Navy has been expanding its shallow-water anti-submarine capability to strengthen coastal and littoral defence. The new ship also carries the legacy of an earlier Indian Naval minesweeper named Malvan, which remained in service until 2003.
The release places the ship within India’s broader push for defence indigenisation under Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The commissioning follows a larger programme of Indian-built ASW-SWCs meant to improve underwater surveillance and anti-submarine reach near the coast.
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