Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that India will not tolerate maritime piracy and smuggling under any circumstances, describing it as the pledge of ‘New India’.

The minister was speaking at an impressive ceremony at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, after the commissioning of INS Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ship, into the Indian Navy.

He lauded the Indian Navy for providing security not only to the Indian ships, but also those from friendly countries. Mr Singh referred to the recent drone attack on a British ship in the Gulf of Aden which resulted in the oil tankers catching fire. He commended the Indian Navy for its prompt response in extinguishing the fire, stating that the effort was recognised and appreciated by the world.

He also praised the Indian Navy for averting five piracy attempts and assisting ships attacked by drones and missiles in the last few days, in addition to rescuing 80 fishermen/marines. “The Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean region is facilitating safe trade, while ensuring peace and prosperity. Many defence experts are calling this the rise of a superpower. This is our culture – to protect everyone,” he said.

Mr Singh emphasised that with increasing power, India is determined to eradicate anarchy not only from the region, but from the entire world. He reiterated India’s stand of maintaining freedom of navigation, trade and commerce among different countries.

“The purpose of our growing power is to ensure a rules-based world order. Our aim is to stop illegal and unregulated fishing in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The Navy is stopping narcotics and human trafficking in this region. It is not only committed to stopping piracy, but also making this entire region peaceful and prosperous. INS Sandhayak will play a crucial role in achieving our objective. The intention with which the Government is strengthening the Navy will realise our destiny of becoming the promoters of world peace,” he said.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar asserted that 64 out of 66 ships and submarines under order are being built in Indian shipyards. This means that the Navy will invest thousands of crores in this sector, enhancing capacity of the shipyards, and capabilities of the workers as well as those employed in ancillary industries, he emphasised.

The commissioning of the vessel marked the formal induction of the first of the four ships of the SVL Project under construction at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The project has been steered by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy.

The primary role of the ship is to carry out full scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels/routes, coastal areas and deep seas, towards enabling safe marine navigation. In its secondary role, the ship will be capable of undertaking a range of naval operations.