Three freshly commissioned Indian Navy boats received 5,700 tons of special steel from state-run Maharatna steel company SAIL on Wednesday. At a ceremony at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the three naval platforms—the stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, the anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft INS Agray, and the survey vessel (big) INS Sanshodhak—into the Indian Navy.
The PSU company claims that special quality DMR 249A grade hot-rolled sheets and plates produced at its Bokaro, Bhilai, and Rourkela steel facilities made up the steel supplied for the vessels. It further stated that the supply demonstrates its technological prowess in manufacturing specialized defense-grade steel needed for vital marine platforms. In order to satisfy the increasing demands of the defense industry, SAIL stated it has been increasing production of DMR-grade plates, especially at the Special Plate Plant of the Rourkela Steel Plant. The business also stated that its actions are in line with the Center’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat programs, which are designed to increase self-sufficiency in key industries and lessen dependency on imports.
The aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and the Project 17A stealth frigates INS Nilgiri, INS Himgiri, and INS Udaygiri are only two of the significant domestic navy projects for which the steelmaker has previously provided specialized steel. The INS Ajay, INS Nistar, and INS Anjadeep are just a few of the ships that have utilized its defense-grade steel. Ashok Kumar Panda, Chairman and Managing Director of SAIL, stated that the organization is still dedicated to helping India achieve its defense sector self-reliance objectives.
