The Indian Navy will formally commission its second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft (ASW-SWC), Androth, on October 6, 2025, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. The commissioning ceremony will be presided over by Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
This marks the induction of the second vessel in a planned fleet of 16 ASW-SWCs, bolstering India’s maritime defence capabilities with indigenously built ships.
Built under Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision
Constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Kolkata, Androth is a major step in India’s drive toward defence self-reliance. With over 80 percent indigenous components, the ship embodies the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The warship was built under the supervision of the Directorate of Ship Production and the Warship Overseeing Team, Kolkata, before being handed over to the Navy on September 13, 2025.
Named after Lakshadweep’s Androth Island
The vessel is named after Androth Island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, highlighting India’s focus on securing its far-flung maritime territories and strengthening its coastal defence network.
Androth also carries forward the legacy of INS Androth (P69), which served the Navy for over 27 years before being decommissioned.
Equipped with advanced weapons and sensor suites, modern communication systems, and water jet propulsion, Androth is designed for:
Detecting, tracking, and neutralising underwater threats
Maritime surveillance and reconnaissance
Search and rescue operations
Coastal and territorial defence
Its induction will significantly enhance the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities in shallow waters, where conventional ships face limitations.
Boost to India’s maritime preparedness
The commissioning of Androth comes at a time when India is modernising its naval fleet to address evolving regional security challenges. Defence experts note that the ASW-SWC series will play a pivotal role in countering submarine threats from adversaries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
With each new vessel built largely with indigenous technologies, India is not only strengthening its Navy but also reinforcing its domestic shipbuilding ecosystem.
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