NE BUSINESS BUREAU
SURAT/HAZIRA, AUG 5
When INS Malvan slipped into the ranks of the Indian Navy, it carried more than sophisticated sensors, weapons and indigenous technology—it carried the industrial strength of Gujarat. The vessel’s steel backbone was forged at ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India)’s Hazira facility, making Surat an unlikely but increasingly important contributor to India’s quest for self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
Commissioned at Karwar on July 22, 2026, INS Malvan is the second indigenously designed and built Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC). The vessel has more than 80% indigenous content, underlining the Indian Navy’s expanding domestic manufacturing ecosystem.
A significant step forward in strengthening India’s maritime defence capabilities. With INS Shachi, ICGS Achal, and INS Malwan, India strengthens its operational readiness across offshore, coastal, and sub-surface domains. pic.twitter.com/vWMMJhIV5f
— ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (@AMNSIndia) April 8, 2026
- Hazira’s specialised steel gives INS Malvan a powerful Gujarat-made backbone for India’s maritime security
- 100% of the specialised steel for the eight-vessel ASW-SWC fleet comes from AM/NS India’s Hazira facility
- Surat’s manufacturing prowess moves beyond infrastructure to strengthen India’s frontline naval capabilities
- INS Malvan’s more than 80% indigenous content underscores the rising strength of India’s defence ecosystem
- AM/NS India’s Hazira steel links Gujarat’s industrial might with the Navy’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission
- From strategic bridges to warships, Hazira-made steel emerges as a vital force in nation-building and defence self-reliance
For Hazira, however, the achievement goes beyond a single warship. AM/NS India is supplying 100% of the specialised DMR 249A steel required for all eight ASW-SWCs, including INS Mahe, INS Malvan and INS Mangrol. The company’s own account identifies the programme as a direct contribution to India’s naval strength and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey.
Hazira steel, national security
The significance is strategic: India’s defence self-reliance does not begin and end inside a shipyard. It starts deep within the domestic manufacturing chain—from specialised steel and engineering to ship design, systems integration and final commissioning.
That makes Hazira’s contribution to INS Malvan a powerful illustration of how Gujarat’s industrial capabilities are feeding directly into India’s defence preparedness.
With the Indian Navy accelerating indigenisation, specialised steel manufactured in Surat is now becoming part of the nation’s frontline maritime architecture. The achievement also reinforces Hazira’s evolution from a major steelmaking centre into a manufacturing hub serving projects of national strategic importance.
Ranjan Dhar: ‘A proud milestone’
Ranjan Dhar, Director & Vice President – Sales & Marketing, AM/NS India, said: “The commissioning of INS Malvan is a proud milestone for AM/NS India’s Hazira operations, where the specialised steel for the vessel was produced. This achievement reflects the advanced manufacturing capabilities, technical expertise and quality standards developed at Hazira. We are proud that steel produced in Surat is contributing to the Indian Navy’s modernisation and supporting India’s vision of becoming self-reliant in defence manufacturing.”
The statement captures the larger transformation underway at Hazira—where steel is no longer merely an industrial commodity but a strategic input into the nation’s security architecture.
Navy’s Aatmanirbhar push
Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, INS Malvan is the second of eight Mahe-class ASW-SWCs and is designed for underwater surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and coastal security.
At its commissioning, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh underlined the strategic importance of maritime security and the Navy’s indigenous capabilities. He said:
“With 80 per cent indigenous content in this warship, we will soon realise the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
He also stressed the importance of secure sea lines of communication for trade and national prosperity.
INS Malvan is therefore not simply another naval induction. It represents an increasingly integrated Indian defence manufacturing chain in which domestic steel, shipbuilding, indigenous equipment and naval expertise converge to create combat-ready platforms.
Surat’s steel reaches the frontline
AM/NS India’s Hazira facility has already established a strong footprint in India’s strategic infrastructure landscape. Its steel has contributed to major national projects including the Chenab Railway Bridge, Anji Khad Railway Bridge and Bogibeel Bridge, besides other nationally significant infrastructure initiatives.
The company has also supplied specialised steel for major Indian naval platforms, including INS Surat and INS Visakhapatnam, extending Hazira’s footprint from landmark infrastructure to frontline maritime assets.
AM/NS India says 100% of the steel for INS Surat was supplied from its Hazira plant, while its specialised DMR 249A steel is being supplied for the entire eight-ship ASW-SWC programme.
A steel corridor for defence self-reliance
The emergence of Hazira as a source of critical defence-grade steel adds a new dimension to Gujarat’s industrial identity. The State’s manufacturing strength is increasingly feeding into projects that have consequences far beyond its borders.
The journey from molten steel at Hazira to a commissioned warship at Karwar illustrates the depth of India’s emerging domestic defence ecosystem: Gujarat manufactures the strategic material, Indian shipyards build the platform, Indian technology equips it and the Navy takes it to sea.
That is the essence of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in action.
INS Malvan: a new guardian of India’s littorals
As a shallow-water anti-submarine warfare craft, INS Malvan is intended to strengthen the Navy’s ability to detect and counter underwater threats in coastal waters. Its induction comes as India seeks to reinforce maritime surveillance and secure its extensive coastline and sea lines of communication.
The vessel also marks a milestone for Karwar: it is the first Indian naval warship to be commissioned at the naval base there.
Hazira’s ‘Banaunga Main, Banega Bharat’ moment
For AM/NS India, INS Malvan fits into a much larger nation-building narrative. The company’s “Banaunga Main, Banega Bharat” campaign describes its role as going beyond steel manufacturing to providing the foundational strength for a more self-sufficient India.
From bridges that span deep Himalayan gorges to naval vessels designed to hunt submarines in India’s littoral waters, Hazira-made steel is increasingly becoming part of the physical architecture of a stronger India.
And in INS Malvan, Surat can see its own industrial strength sailing into the nation’s maritime security story.
