Indian Navy adds ‘Dolphin Hunter’ INS Anjadip to fleet; aims to boost anti-submarine capabilities

The Indian Navy on Friday commissioned INS Anjadip, a warship aimed at enhancing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and coastal surveillance capabilities. Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, commissioned the vessel at Chennai Port in a ceremony attended by senior naval and government officials.

The 77-metre-long vessel is the third of eight being built under the Navy’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft project. Designed as a “Dolphin Hunter,” it is focused on detecting, tracking, and neutralising enemy submarines in coastal waters.

INS Anjadip is equipped with an indigenous, advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapons and sensor package, including hull-mounted Abhay sonar, lightweight torpedoes, and ASW rockets. The ship is also capable of coastal surveillance, low-intensity maritime operations, and search-and-rescue missions.


The vessel’s high-speed water-jet propulsion system allows it to reach 25 knots, providing rapid response and sustained operational capability in littoral and shallow-water environments, which are considered critical for India’s maritime security.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, the ship is designed specifically to address the challenges of littoral combat, including coastal defence and protecting key shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea.

The induction of INS Anjadip, named after the island off the coast of Karwar in Karnataka, strengthens India’s naval capacity to safeguard its extensive coastline, maritime interests, and the waters off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The ship forms part of a broader modernization effort by the Indian Navy to expand its anti-submarine capabilities, as regional maritime tensions grow and the strategic importance of coastal waters increases. The addition of such shallow-water ASW vessels will enhance India’s ability to monitor submarine activity near its shores and respond quickly to potential threats.

The ship is equipped with shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and an advanced combat management system. Besides its primary ASW role, the vessel can undertake coastal surveillance, low-intensity maritime operations and search-and-rescue missions.

Admiral Tripathi said the commissioning marked the fourth of 16 shallow water ASW craft and significantly strengthened capabilities along the eastern seaboard. He added that the Navy plans to induct about 15 more ships in 2026, following the commissioning of 12 warships and one submarine in 2025 — the highest rate of induction in its history.

The ship is named after Anjadip island off Karnataka’s coast, which witnessed naval action during Operation Chutney that led to the liberation of Goa. Tripathi said the vessel carries forward that legacy of resolve and maritime defence. He said India’s maritime environment remains challenging, citing disruptions in the Red Sea and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz as examples of how regional crises can affect global trade and energy flows.

Since October 2023, Indian naval deployments in the Red Sea have enabled the safe transit of nearly 400 merchant vessels carrying about 16.5 million metric tonnes of cargo worth over $7 billion bound for India. Tripathi said the new platform reflects the country’s push for indigenous defence production and self-reliance in shipbuilding and under-sea warfare.

(With inputs from PTI)