India's Kattupalli Shipyard Becomes US Master Shipyard

According to a senior American official, Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro's Kattupalli Shipyard, located close to Chennai, has been designated as a master shipyard for US military vessels. This development follows the company's signing of a contract to handle the maintenance requirements of frontline warships that are in port. Kattupalli Shipyard is now the first master shipyard in India for American naval ships after to L&T's signing of a five-year Master Shipyard Repair Agreement (MSRA) with the US. The deal, according to Judith Ravin, the US Consul General in Chennai, was a direct result of the 2022 US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, which discussed the need to fully use Indian shipyards. Calling MSRA yet another milestone in the “ever-expanding” US-India partnership, Ravin said: “This agreement will serve to strengthen our two nations’ strategic partnership and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” The pact shows the US's commitment to regularly using India's maintenance facilities, which is considered as a huge boost for India. “This agreement marks a global recognition of our unmatched capabilities and facilities to undertake quality ship repairs and refits. We are happy to be of service to the US Navy and the Military Sealift Command,” A.T. Ramchandani, executive vice-president & head L&T Defence, said in a statement. According to a statement from Ravin, the agreement attempts to benefit the US by assisting it in accelerating its contracting procedures for repair work, and it also benefits India by advancing its logistics and indigenous production objectives. The USNS Salvor, a vessel that performs salvage, diving, towing, offshore firefighting, heavy-lift operations, and theater security cooperation tasks, arrived at the shipyard on Sunday for repairs as per the agreement. About MSRA According to Ravin, the MSRA is a 'legally non-binding arrangement' between the US Navy and private shipbuilding contractors to pre-approve shipyards to repair US naval warships. There is a strict screening procedure involved. “For instance, a contractor must be able to complete 55 percent or more of the work package of a vessel, own facilities, utilise its own shops and workforce, maintain a track record of a safe working environment and be capable of subcontracting to provide adequate oversight of the voyage repair,” Ravin said. The most recent development is consistent with the Modi administration's campaign to build defense shipyards as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Rajnath Singh, India's defense minister, stated in December that the country's Navy and Coast Guard needed to be strengthened, and that the nation's defense shipyards were crucial to that effort. In current age of globalization, practically all countries rely on one another for trade. Thus, for the stability and economic advancement of the globe, rule-based freedom of navigation, security of sea lanes, etc. have become more crucial than ever, he had stated following the commissioning of the INS Mormugao of the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The Indian shipyards had also been pushed by the defense minister to benefit from government efforts to turn India into an indigenous shipbuilding hub. See also: Mundra Port anchor one of the world's longest Container Ships The Centre Prepares Policy, Allow Extension of Port Terminal Contracts