03-04-2007, 10:15 AM
Shortage of Naval ships- According to media reports the Indian Navy has undertaken a program to acquire 33 warships. However, there is problem in the Defence shipyards which are entrusted in building the majority of these ships. To maintain the current strength of 135 warships, the Navy is required to replace six ships every year. Due to the slow turnover of the Indian shipyards only two or three ships are getting added each year. This delay is causing cost escalation and also the equipment s are getting outdated within a very short span of the ships operational lifetime. While abroad, a shipyard takes five years to construct a frigate , the time taken in India is nine years.It is understood that at present one aircraft carrier is under construction at Kochi, three destroyers at MDL in Mumbai( delayed by two years),Three frigates being built in MDL Mumbai and four Corvette in GRSE Kolkata. If the current rate of shipbuilding continues, there may be a serious shortage in surface ships in the near future and this may force the country to import ships from abroad or to go in for second hand ships from abroad. Nareshji may like to give his expert views on this important issue.