Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissions INS Chennai into Indian Navy

Mumbai: Marking the completion of the crucial Project 15A of the Indian Navy, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned the newest indigenously-built destroyer INS Chennai into the force on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_3099534” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. File photo. PTI[/caption] “This is a historic day for the Indian Navy,” Parrikar said, lauding the indigenously designed and constructed, Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer built by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL) in Mumbai. Present on the occasion was Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, as also top officers of Western Naval Command and other dignitaries. While INS Kolkata was the first ship in this class commissioned on 16 August, 2014, the second, INS Kochi, was commissioned on 30 September, 2015. After the commissioning, INS Chennai will be under the operational and administrative control of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. The INS Chennai undergo certain additional sea trials of the ship-borne systems before she will assigned to the Western Fleet and based in Mumbai.