New Delhi: India is preparing to commission a new strategic naval base for nuclear submarines and warships on its eastern seaboard next year, in a move aimed at bolstering maritime defences amid China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean, according to a Times of India report.

Located near Rambilli village, around 50 km south of the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam, the base has been under construction for over a decade and will allow submarines to slip undetected into the Bay of Bengal via underground pens and tunnels.

“The first phase of the Rambilli base under Project Varsha is almost complete,” said an official source. Once commissioned in 2026, it can be scaled up in phases—similar to the Karwar naval base on the western coast, which is being expanded under Project Seabird.

Covert access to critical sea lanes

The Rambilli base will offer stealth access to key maritime chokepoints like the Malacca Strait, enhancing India’s second-strike capability and its nuclear deterrent posture.

Construction has faced multiple technological, environmental and logistical hurdles but is now nearing completion.

More nuclear submarines to follow

India is also set to commission its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman, this year. Slightly larger than the earlier INS Arihant and INS Arighaat, the 7,000-tonne Aridhaman will carry more K-4 missiles with a range of 3,500 km.

A fourth SSBN is under construction as part of the ₹90,000 crore Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project. The plan includes future SSBNs weighing 13,500 tonnes and powered by advanced 190 MW nuclear reactors—more than twice the output of the current 83 MW ones.

In October 2023, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved construction of two nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) weighing 9,800 tonnes for ₹40,000 crore. Eventually, India plans to operate six SSNs for conventional warfare missions.

Karwar expansion adds strategic depth

On the western seaboard, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated new operational, repair and logistics facilities worth over ₹2,000 crore at the Karwar naval base on Saturday.

Already the base for over a dozen warships, Karwar will soon be capable of hosting 32 major warships and submarines, along with 23 yard-craft, upon completion of Project Seabird Phase-IIA.

The base will also house a dual-use air station, a naval dockyard, covered dry berths, and full logistical support for ships and aircraft.

Phase-IIB, currently under planning, will expand Karwar’s capacity to 50 warships and submarines, plus 40 auxiliary craft—helping reduce congestion at the Mumbai naval harbour.