Fast Attack Craft, Bay of Bengal Focus: Why India's New Haldia Naval Base Matters | Exclusive

The Indian Navy has begun work on a new base in Haldia, in West Bengal, close to Bangladesh. The new base, yet unnamed, will be a "detachment," top naval sources said, for small warships like the Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) and the New Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (NWJFAC), but initial work like the building of a jetty will have to be done first. The Navy does have bases along the eastern coast of India, principally in Visakhapatnam, where the Eastern Naval Command HQ is located, and also in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, but fortuitously, the base area, allotted earlier, had been "stuck" for a while and with the allotment, work can begin swiftly. The base will have around a hundred officers and men, perhaps less. The location of Haldia, about

100 km from Kolkata and on the Bay of Bengal, is helpful as it will mean avoiding the long journey up the Hooghly river. The Defence Acquisition Council, headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the Navy's request for 120 FICs and 31 NWJFACs in 2024. The FICs, for instance, are small boats-- about 100 tonnes and swift, with a speed of 45 knots, and armed with machine-guns. They can carry 10-12 personnel and can be used for a variety of tasks.

What the Haldia base can do is "keep an eye on activities in Bangladesh," sources said. In November last year, the Pakistan Navy had sent PNS Saif, a Chinese-built guided missile frigate (3,000 tonnes), and relatively new, being about 15 years old, to Bangladesh-- an important visit. This visit comes as part of the closer defence ties Dhaka and Islamabad have been looking at since August 2024, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh. Importantly, "two-star level staff talks between the navies-- a first " were held in November. India expects Pakistan-Bangladesh defence ties to grow in the future.

There has already been a strong link between China and Bangladesh for over a decade. China handed over two submarines to the Bangladesh Navy and also, is completing a base for submarines off Chittagong. It was initially called BNS Sheikh Hasina, but the name has been changed.