Indian Navy receives Dunagiri frigate and Sanshodhak survey vessel

The Indian Navy took delivery of two vessels, the fifth Nilgiri-class frigate Dunagiri (Yard 3023) and the survey ship Sanshodhak (Yard 3028), from Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in the Indian city of Kolkata on 30 March 2026.

Dunagiri is the second ship of the Nilgiri class constructed at GRSE under Project 17A.

The Warship Design Bureau designed the frigate, while the Warship Overseeing Team in Kolkata ensured compliance with construction standards.

This vessel follows four previous P17A ships delivered over the past 16 months.

The experience gained during earlier deliveries has reduced Dunagiri’s build period to 80 months, compared to 93 months for the first ship in the series.

Project 17A frigates are equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, including BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, MFSTAR and MRSAM complexes, a 76mm SRGM, close-in weapon systems, and torpedoes for anti-submarine operations.

The ships use Combined Diesel or Gas propulsion with controllable pitch propellers and Integrated Platform Management Systems.

Dunagiri is named after a previous Indian Navy vessel, INS Dunagiri, which served from May 1977 to October 2010.

The project reports an indigenisation content of 75%, involving over 200 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and generating direct employment for approximately 4,000 people and indirect employment for more than 10,000 individuals.

Sanshodhak, the final ship in a series of four Survey Vessel (Large) ships ordered under a contract signed in October 2018, was also delivered on the same day.

The earlier ships in the series include INS Sandhayak, commissioned on 3 February 2024, INS Nirdeshak, commissioned on 18 December 2024, and INS Ikshak, commissioned on 6 November 2025.

The Warship Design Bureau oversaw the design of these survey vessels.

Built according to Indian Register of Shipping rules by GRSE, Sanshodhak supports full-scale hydrographic surveys of coastal waters and harbour approaches and can collect oceanographic and geophysical data for both defence and civil applications.

The ship has a displacement of about 3,400 tonnes (t) and measures approximately 110 metres (m) in length. It is powered by two diesel engines with operational speeds exceeding 18 knots.

Sanshodhak is equipped with a range of hydrographic tools including a Data Acquisition and Processing System, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, long-range DGPS positioning systems, and Digital Side Scan Sonar.

Keel laying took place in June 2022 followed by launch in June 2023. The ship completed harbour and sea trials prior to delivery. Indigenous content exceeds 80% by cost.

In January this year, India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) commissioned the first indigenously designed pollution control vessel, Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pratap in Goa.