Indian Navy gives a glimpse of the Eastern Hemisphere’s largest naval base-in-the-making

The Indian Navy gave a glimpse of the largest naval base being built in the Eastern Hemisphere when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took his first submarine sortie on May 27 from Karwar on the Western seaboard. 

Visuals of the submarine INS Khanderi, with the Defence Minister standing atop its conning tower, sailing past the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya gave a sense of the expanse of the Karwar naval base, named INS Kadamba, which is spread over 11,000 acres of coastal land behind a 23-km coastline in Karnataka, south of Goa. 

By 2025, Karwar will be the home base for two Indian Navy aircraft carrier groups, 50 frontline warships and submarines and some of its most potent air assets. 

During his two-day visit to Karwar on May 26-27, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the progress of Project Seabird under which the Karwar base is being built as India’s most significant naval base which will be central to its maritime power projection. It is India’s largest naval infrastructure project which will not just decongest Mumbai but also replace it as India’s most critical naval base.

A 6,000-foot runway is also in the works as part of a new naval air station, which will also be used for civil aviation. 

“Upon completion, this $3 Billion-worth programme will provide the Indian Navy with the largest naval base east of the Suez Canal,” a Navy officer explained. 

“The new and expanded naval complex will be able to support several major warships and submarines and yard crafts. A specialised dockyard repair and maintenance facilities (with piers, wharfs, revetments, quay walls, etc.), covered dry berths for ships and submarines, new technologically advanced security and communication systems, a Naval Air Station (including multiple runways, hangars, housing, ordnance handling areas, services, personnel support infrastructure, etc.), various utilities systems as well as housing and residential complexes at multiple locations are some of the other facilities that the base will feature,” it is stated by AECOM, the project management consultant for Project Seabird’s Phase IIA.  

Approved in 1999, the first phase of construction of the base was completed in 2005 and the base was commissioned on May 31, 2005. Work on Phase IIA commenced in 2016.

The ongoing Phase IIA involves construction of eight operational jetties, two refit jetties, four cover drivers and full-pledged dockyards to handle additional ships; a Naval air station for helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and medium transport aircraft with a civil terminal; upgradation of the hospital INHS Patanjalifrom a 141-bed facility to a 400-bed hospital.

The Karwar base is reportedly the brainchild of Admiral OS Dawson, who was Navy Chief during the 1980s. He chose the location sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea for its operational advantage. It was relatively safe, away from the strike range of strike aircraft of neighbouring countries. Its proximity to the world’s busiest shipping lane and the need to move out of a very congested Mumbai were the other important considerations. 

A natural deep-water harbour made it ideal for berthing carriers and the abundant availability of land for expansion added to its suitability. 

Vishal Thapar

BW Reporters Group Editorial Head for BW’s Defence, Security & Police