New Delhi, Apr 30 (IANS): The Indian Navy has signed contracts procuring 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft to enhance its surveillance of coastal waters, an official release said.

Contracts have been signed for construction of eight ships each at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), Kochi and the Garden Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata, at a cost of Rs 12,600 crore.

The ships are to be delivered from October 2022 and two ships per year will be delivered by each shipyard subsequently.

With India's long coastline of 7,516.6 km that encompasses 12 major ports and 184 minor ports and 1,197 island territories, coastal surveillance for anti-submarine warfare operations is considered critical.

"Induction of these specialised ships with lower draught, would significantly enhance coastal shallow water anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy with improved performance of weapons, sensors, hull-mounted and towed sonars," the release said.

The ships will be equipped with state-of-art indigenous Integrated Platform Management Systems and will be capable of subsurface surveillance of coastal waters and laying of mines.