Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that perpetrators of attacks on Merchant Vessels ‘Chem Pluto’ & 'Sai Baba' will soon be brought to justice. He was speaking on the occasion of the commissioning of INS Imphal in Mumbai. He said that the Government has taken serious note of the attack on MV CHEM PLUTO and others. He added that the Government of India has taken the attacks very seriously and the Navy has increased its surveillance. He stated that India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred.

Rajnath said, INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of ‘Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya’ (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said INS Imphal is the first warship to have successfully undertaken test firing of the BrahMos Surface to Surface Missile, even before her commissioning. He expressed gratitude to all those who worked tirelessly to deliver a hattrick of destroyers - Visakhapatnam in 2021, Mormugao in 2022, Imphal in 2023. The Navy Chief exuded confidence that the fourth Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer ‘Surat’ will be commissioned in 2024.

Imphal is the first warship to have been named after a city from the North East, the approval for which was accorded by the President on the 16th of April 2019. Measuring 163 metres in length displacing 7,400 tons and with 75 percent indigenous content, Imphal can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. This is the first warship with a separate accommodation facility for female officers and sailors. The ship sailed for her maiden sea sortie on April 28, 2023, and underwent comprehensive trials in the harbour & at sea, with its delivery on the 20th of October, 2023, marking a record time frame of less than six months. The time taken to build INS Imphal and undergo trials has been the shortest for any indigenous destroyer. The ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel and is commanded by Captain KK Choudhury, a Gunnery and Missiles specialist.