Indian Military News

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[url="http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=352296&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16"]Exposure to technology essential: expert[/url]



By Ramesh Mathew





The requirements of the coastguards and navies of the Middle East are growing at a rapid pace owing to the developments in the seas in and around the region, feels Indian Navy’s Real Admiral (Retd) Vineet Bakshi.



The chairman and managing director of Goa Shipyard Limited and India’s major ship building yard for defence vessels has come to Doha to participate in the 2nd Doha International Maritime and Defence Exhibition (Dimdex) concluding this evening at the Doha Exhibition Centre.



Unless such exhibitions are hosted at intervals, the region’s naval personnel would not get the real exposure that they need to have while dealing with different varieties of multi-purpose vessels, believes Bakshi.



“Some of the ships that we developed in the maritime industry could be found only with the Indian Navy, which is engaged in different duties in and around the Arabian Sea owing to a newly emerging situations from the increased pace of piracy off the Somalia coast,” the ship yard official said.



Bakshi said each of the region’s navies would require multipurpose coastguard vessels, interceptors, mine sweepers and damage control simulators as their needs are increasing day by day.



Asked about the possibilities for doing business in the region, the senior naval official said the shipyard’s order book is full these days with 70% domestic orders and other international and regional requirements.



“However, India’s friendly defence relations with GCC states like Qatar and Saudi Arabia would certainly bring in new orders,” he said.



Naval offshore patrol vessels built by Goa Shipyard have been widely accepted with some of the GCC states and new inquiries are coming in for their requirements, said Bakshi.