Indian Navy commissions Fast Attack Craft INS Kabra

Kochi:  The Indian Navy on Wednesday commissioned the INS Kabra, a new water jet Fast Attack Craft (FAC). The ship was commissioned at the Kochi naval base by vice admiral KN Sushil, flag officer commanding-in-chief, Southern Naval Command.

INS Kabra is the eighth in the series of such Fast Attack Crafts to join the navy. Kabra will aid the navy in on-going anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea.

INS Kabra is named after an island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

While vice admiral KN Sushil unveiled the commissioning pendant of the warship, the commissioning warrant, signed by navy chief, admiral Nirmal Verma, was read out. The naval ensign and the national flag were hoisted on-board INS Kabra.

Vice Admiral Sushil underscored the importance of relatively smaller ships like fast attack craft for a blue water navy, saying the assets were an essential inventory in peacetime for low intensity conflicts and anti-piracy operations.

These FACs are being built by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).