Warship INS Kabra joins Indian Navy

Warship INS Kabra was commissioned at Naval Base Kochi by Vice-Admiral K.N. Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command.

The ship is named after an island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. The commissioning ceremony involved announcement of the commissioning warrant signed by the Chief of the Naval Staff, hoisting the Naval Ensign and National Flag on board to the tune of the National Anthem and breaking of the commissioning pendant atop the ship.

Vice-Admiral Sushil in his address underscored the importance of relatively smaller ships like Fast Attack Crafts for a blue water Navy stating that these are essential inventory in peacetime, for Low Intensity Conflicts and anti piracy operations.

Rear Admiral KC Shekar (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, said that INS Kabra is a cost-effective and fuel-efficient platform. He also informed that certain modifications from the original design have been carried out on the ship based on inputs from the Navy.

INS Kabra, like INS Kalpeni which joined Southern Naval Command in October last year, is an indigenously designed water jet propelled Fast Attack Craft and is eighth of a series built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata. With a top speed of over 35 knots, and excellent manoeuvrability offered by her water-jet propulsion, the ship is ideally suited for high-speed interdiction of fast-moving targets. The speed, agility and quick response will also be especially useful in search and rescue operations.

The low draught of the ship allows it to operate in shallow waters close to the coast as well. INS Kabra complies with the latest regulations of the IMO on sea pollution control.