MUMBAI (PTI): The Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) here will launch 'Vagsheer', the sixth submarine under the P75 Scorpene project, on April 20, officials said on Friday.

Sea trials for `Vagir', the fifth submarine of Project 75, started in February 2022.

The sixth submarine will be launched on April 20, an official of the defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) said, adding that it will enable officials to undertake its sea trials before the commissioning.

MDL Chairman and Managing Director Vice Admiral (retd) Narayan Prasad said presently Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders has an order book of Rs 46,000 crore which essentially comprises six submarine projects, project 15 Bravo destroyers and Project 17 Alpha Stealth frigates. "We have delivered four submarines, one destroyer. These programmes are going to extend for the next three-four years," he said.

We are trying to launch three platforms one submarine, one Project 15 Bravo destroyer and one stealth frigate in April and May this year. At the end of the year, we are trying to deliver one submarine, one 15 Bravo destroyer, and we are going to launch one 17 Alpha frigate, Prasad added.

Vagsheer is the last submarine of the P75 Scorpene project. The INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj and INS Vela have already been commissioned while sea trials of the Vagir are underway.