[7] The base also has the country's first sealift facility, a unique “shiplift” and transfer system for docking and undocking ships and submarines.

Located south of the naval bases in Mumbai and Goa and north of Kochi, the location had significant advantages as being very close to the world's busiest shipping route between the Persian Gulf and east Asia and out of range of most strike aircraft from neighboring countries.

It also offered a natural deep-water harbour and significant land area for expansion, allowing larger aircraft carriers to berth.

[6] In 1999, following Pokhran-II, then Defence Minister George Fernandes approved Project Seabird to pursue the construction of the new naval base at Karwar.

The facility will train Navy personnel, MARCOS operators and Special Forces of friendly foreign nations to combat piracy and terrorism.

It will also have a Maritime Workup Station consisting of mock-ups of an oil rig, a ship along with a pool capable of wave generation to simulate various sea-states, and an Obstacle-cum-Jungle Firing Range.

[11] Spread over an area of 45 square kilometres (11,000 acres) and 23 km (14 mi) of coastline on the Arabian Sea, Phase I of INS Kadamba was commissioned on 31 May 2005.

[14][15] Naval Ship Repair Yard commenced functioning in July 2006 and the ship-lift was commissioned on 8 November 2006.

The project is expected to generate large scale employment and infuse money into the local economy.

"[27] On 9 April 2024, the Chief of the Naval Staff R. Hari Kumar inaugurated a pier and a residential complex.

The facility also included six towers housing 360 apartments of Type-II for civilian employees of the Defence Department were opened.