Missile destroyer Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy

MUMBAI: Stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao, the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Sunday.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said INS Mormugao is evidence of India’s excellence in warship design and development.

The aim is to make India the indigenous ship building hub, the minister said. Singh described INS Mormugao as one of the most powerful indigenously-built warships which will significantly enhance the country’s maritime capabilities and secure national interests.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said the commissioning of INS Mormugao is indicative of the large strides India has taken in warship design and building capability over the last decade.

He said the warship is a true illustration of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiative and reinforces the Navy’s commitment to supporting India’s transformation into a global ship-building hub.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Goa governor P S Sreedharan Pillai were present at the ceremony. INS Mormugao is the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers of ‘Project 15B’, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

Named after the historic port city of Goa, Mormugao coincidentally undertook first sea trial on December 19, 2021, when Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from the Portuguese rule.

INS Mormugao is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide. It has a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and a maximum speed of 30 knots (55 kmph).

The warship is packed with sophisticated state of the art weapons and sensors such as surface to surface missile and surface to air missiles. It is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems on board.