The NGOPV Shruti launch at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata on Tuesday put another indigenously designed patrol ship in the water for the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Defence said.

Mrs Manika Sadhu launched the vessel, Yard 3037, in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition.

What the NGOPV Shruti launch adds to the fleet

Shruti belongs to the Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel line, a class designed and built in India. The ships will augment the Indian Navy's existing offshore patrol vessels and naval offshore patrol vessels.

Their work spans maritime surveillance, search and rescue, protection of offshore assets, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and anti-piracy missions.

Built at two yards under the NGOPV project

The class is being built at two shipyards at once. Goa Shipyard Limited is turning out its share on the west coast while GRSE builds the rest in Kolkata, and both draw on the domestic supplier base that the Make in India programme is meant to widen.

The Indian Navy marked the launch on its official handle.

A name drawn from the four Vedas

Shruti takes its name from the four Vedas. The class pulls its names from India's heritage, and this one reaches back to the oldest of them.

The crest and what it carries

The ship's crest sets the constellation of Ursa Major against a red and white lighthouse.

GRSE and the indigenous shipbuilding line

The NGOPV Shruti launch is the latest hull down the ways at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, which moved up to Navratna status this year. It is not the only yard building indigenous warships; Cochin Shipyard launched a Mahe class anti-submarine craft earlier in the year.

In June, the Kolkata yard saw the Navy commission three ships built there on a single day at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.