New Delhi, June 30: The possible return of Pakistan Navy’s newly inducted Chinese-built submarine PNS Hangor to the Bay of Bengal has intensified strategic concerns for India’s eastern maritime theatre, with defence experts pointing to the growing significance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands amid evolving regional naval deployments.
According to available information, PNS Hangor, an advanced diesel-electric attack submarine built by China for the Pakistan Navy, recently visited Colombo after its induction at Karachi. During its return voyage from Sri Lanka, a senior Pakistan Navy officer reportedly indicated that the submarine would return to the Bay of Bengal, drawing attention from India’s maritime security establishment.
PNS Hangor is the lead vessel of a planned fleet of eight submarines being jointly built in China and Pakistan. The submarine is equipped with an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, enabling it to remain submerged for up to three weeks without surfacing to recharge batteries. The capability provides it with greater underwater endurance than conventional diesel-electric submarines lacking similar technology.
Security analysts have also highlighted the strategic importance of BNS Pekua, a naval base developed by China near Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. The facility can accommodate up to eight surface warships and six submarines. Although Bangladesh currently operates only two submarines, defence observers believe the infrastructure is capable of supporting Chinese naval vessels and submarines belonging to friendly countries.
The report notes that Bangladesh renewed relations with Pakistan during the tenure of the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus, with bilateral engagement continuing after the new government assumed office earlier this year.
Retired senior Indian naval officers have expressed concern that BNS Pekua could provide berthing and logistical support to Chinese and Pakistani naval platforms operating in the Bay of Bengal. According to their assessment, such deployments could compel India to allocate additional surveillance assets to monitor submarine movements, potentially stretching operational resources across the eastern maritime region.
Defence experts further noted that BNS Pekua includes dry dock infrastructure designed for Chinese Type 039A and Type 039B submarines, of which PNS Hangor is an export variant. They observed that the facility could function as a logistics hub, allowing Chinese and Pakistani submarines to sustain extended deployments in the Bay of Bengal.
The location has drawn particular attention because of its proximity to India’s key strategic assets. BNS Pekua lies approximately 1,000 kilometres from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, home to India’s only tri-services command and a critical pillar of the country’s maritime security architecture. The naval base is also located at a similar distance from Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command and submarine fleet.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands occupy a central position in India’s maritime security framework, overseeing vital sea lanes in the eastern Indian Ocean. Reports of Chinese submarines and surface warships operating close to Indian territorial waters around the archipelago have previously underscored the strategic sensitivity of the region.
To strengthen maritime surveillance, the Indian Navy currently operates four Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvettes and has begun inducting 16 anti-submarine shallow water craft designed to detect hostile submarines near the coastline. Long-range P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft are also deployed to monitor submarine activity across the Bay of Bengal.
Despite these capabilities, defence analysts believe that the prospect of Chinese or Pakistani submarines operating in close proximity to India’s eastern maritime frontier will continue to remain a significant strategic concern, particularly for the security of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the wider Bay of Bengal.
