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Kochi firm first private entity in India to design Navy warship

KOCHI: When the Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe on Monday, it was not just the launch of a new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, it was a landmark for Indias private ship design ecosystem. The Mahe-class lead ship, built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), is the first Indian naval vessel designed by a private firm. And it has a Kochi tag. Smart Engineering & Design Solutions (India) Pvt Ltd (SEDS), a naval architecture company operating out of Kakkanad, has etched its name as a pioneer in the sector. INS Mahe, the first of eight shallow-water ASW corvettes, represents both a technological leap and a shift in how India is opening its defence architecture to private players. Frontline ships like aircraft carriers will continue to be designed by the Warship Design Bureau. But the government has been encouraging private sector participation to strengthen the shipbuilding ecosystem. INS Mahe is the first major result of that effort, said Hariraj Puliyankodan, COO of SEDS which employs 153 people. Designing the corvette required navigating tight spatial, weight and machinery constraints. These ships have to carry advanced sensors, weapons and equipment in a very compact frame. The design kept evolving with each requirement from the Navy, he said. Mahe now leads her seven sister ships, all under construction or trials at CSL. SEDS role in naval projects does not end with the Mahe-class. The company also provided the design for the Indian Navys massive `20,000-crore fleet support ship programme, currently being built at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. This project had originally been contracted to Turkey. But when ties with Turkey soured, the deal was cancelled. The project was restarted entirely in India, and we designed the vessels from scratch, said Antony Prince, CEO of SEDS. SEDS designed Coast Guards Aadesh-class fast patrol vessels These enormous ships, built with double bottoms and double hulls in the cargo areas, are meant to replenish combat vessels with fuel, ammunition, spare parts, provisions and personnel during long deployments. The first ship in the class will be commissioned soon, Antony said. Antony brings over 50 years of maritime experience, spanning ship operations, management, construction and design. He also heads GTR Campbell Marine Consultants Ltd in the Bahamas. Around 2007, CSL was struggling for orders. The company brought in international projects, but realised India didnt have private ship design firms. So I started SEDS, he said. The success of the Trader series at CSL validated the move, and the firm soon began recruiting naval architects from Cusat to build in-house expertise, he said. Today, SEDS 153-member team works across defence and commercial ship design. It has brought in orders from Denmark and Germany to major Indian yards such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata. Closer home, SEDS designed the Coast Guards Aadesh-class fast patrol vessels 20 of which were constructed by CSL. The commissioning of INS Mahe underscores the Navys push for potent platforms capable of operating in Indias vast coastal and shallow-water regions. The corvette integrates weapons, sensors and communication systems into a powerful combat suite designed to detect and neutralise submarines. Engineered for sustained operations, the Mahe-class will serve as the Navys frontline coastal defence layer.