'Augmenting Infra To Build Larger Ships, Including Next Generation Aircraft Carrier': Cochin Shipyard After Delivering IAC-1 To Indian Navy

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), the largest public sector shipyard in the country, has said that it is currently augmenting its infrastructure to build larger warships for the Indian Navy, including a next-generation aircraft carrier.

In a press release after handing over the first indigenously-build aircraft carrier Vikrant (IAC-1) to the Indian Navy last week, the shipyard said that it is building a new dry dock, among other things, to build even larger ships.

"The shipyard is also augmenting their infrastructure including a new dry dock to cater for the construction of even larger ships including a next generation Aircraft Carrier," the shipyard said.

Interestingly, the shipyard also said that the "skill development of the highest order that has materialized" in the country during the construction of IAC-1 "will auger well for the country...if sustained".

While the Indian Navy has presented a case for constructing a second indigenous aircraft carrier, which will take the number of carriers with the Navy to three, the government has yet to approve the project.

The state-run shipyard is currently constructing eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts for the Indian Navy. It also stated that it had won an order to build six Next Generation Missile Vessels for the Navy.

"The construction of the IAC had created a vast network of national vendors and subcontractors and ancillary industries including MSMEs covering the complete product life cycle management including logistics and spares. Construction of the IAC has thus contributed immensely to the Indian economy as it generated a demand in both the upstream industries such as steel, electro mechanical machinery equipment and also for downstream sectors such as infrastructure and services," it said.

"Approximately 550 indigenous vendors had supported the construction of the IAC amongst which close to 100 of them are MSME's. The indigenous content of the vessel is of the order of 76 per cent. The support provided by the Indian Navy and the shipyard to these vendors resulted in the indigenization of various equipment and systems," the shipyard added.

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