Inauguration ceremony of construction work (keel laying) for 8th ASW SWC (Ex-GRSE) was held on 10 May 2024 at M/s GRSE, Kolkata. The ceremony was presided over by VAdm B Shivakumar, Controller Warship Production & Acquisition in the presence of Commander PR Hari, IN (Retd), CMD, GRSE and other senior officers of the Indian Navy and M/s GRSE.
The contract for indigenous design and construction of 08 x ASW SWC ships between Ministry of Defense and M/s GRSE, Kolkata was concluded on 29 April 2019. So far six ships of this project have already been launched. Delivery of the first ship (Arnala) is planned for August 2024.
This Arnala class ship will replace the Abhay class ASW corvettes serving the Indian Navy. It is designed for anti-submarine operations, low intensity maritime operations (LIMO) and mine laying operations in coastal waters. The keel laying for Yard 3034, the last ship of this project, is another significant achievement of the Indian Navy towards indigenous shipbuilding and is in line with the country's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India' initiatives.