Indian govt clears Rs 20,000 cr deal to build five warships for Navy

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Indian government has cleared a Rs 20,000 crore deal to manufacture fleet support vessels (FSVs) which are urgently required by the Indian Navy.

Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) will manufacture five of the 45,000-tonne warships, the largest ship of its class being built at the defence ministry-owned yard.

The Indian FSV project was initially given a go-ahead in 2016 after the Indian Navy projected a requirement for ships that could carry fuel and other supplies for warships at sea.

The ships are needed to support warships on long range patrol and can carry a variety of equipment, such as fuel, ammunition and food supplies. They will be able to support ships of all classes, including the two Indian aircraft carriers.

The navy has a variety of new ships that are being planned, including next generation missile vessels and counter mine vessels. Three additional Scorpene class submarines are also expected to be ordered shortly.

The order will come as a boost for HSL, which has been struggling with getting orders from the government. The yard has delivered a missile tracking vessel and has carried out refit and upgrades of Kilo class submarines.

(The Economic Times)