Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) recently delivered the first of the eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC), INS Mahe, indigenously designed and built by it to the Indian Navy.

About INS Mahe
INS Mahe can refer to two different ships that have served in the Indian Navy. The most recent is a newly delivered Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), while the other was a minesweeper that was decommissioned in 2006. 

INS Mahe (2025)
The newest INS Mahe is the lead ship of a new class of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWC) built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). 
Key details:

• Role: Primarily an anti-submarine warfare vessel for operations in India's coastal and shallow waters. Its capabilities include underwater surveillance, mine-laying, and low-intensity maritime operations.
• Delivery: Delivered to the Indian Navy on October 23, 2025.
• Indigenous production: The vessel is a major step toward India's self-reliance in defense manufacturing, with over 90% indigenous content.
• Propulsion: The 78-meter-long ship is the largest Indian naval vessel to be propelled by a diesel engine-waterjet combination, allowing for superior maneuverability in shallow waters.
• Armament and sensors: It carries modern sensors and weapons, including torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, and state-of-the-art sonar and radar systems.
• Class: The Mahe is the first of eight ASW SWCs that will be built for the Indian Navy. 

INS Mahe (1983)
The earlier INS Mahe was a Soviet-built minesweeper that served in the Indian Navy for over two decades. 
Key details:

• Commissioned: May 16, 1983.
• Decommissioned: May 15, 2006, after 24 years of service.
• Primary role: Inshore minesweeping, harbor defense, and coastal patrolling.
• Namesake: Both ships were named after the historic port town of Mahé in the Union Territory of Puducherry. 

Download Pdf