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Aug 8, 2022 5: 26 PM by
The Maritime Govt
In a first-of-its-kind switch designed to present a purchase to the U.S. place with India, the U’S’ Navy’s Protection force Sealift Define despatched one of its vessels for upkeep and repairs at an Indian shipyard. Whereas the project itself maybe be smaller in scope, the importance of the U.S. Navy contracting for work in India is serving as a prime diplomatic moment, gaining huge exposure in India and designed to present a purchase to cooperation between the U.S. and India.
The USNS Charles Drew, one of a category of 14 dry cargo ships in the Protection force Sealift Define Strive against Logistics Force, arrived on August 7 at the L&T (Larsen & Toubro) Kattupalli shipyard in Chennai, India. The vessel is scheduled to exhaust 11 days at the yard and became once greeted by India’s Defence Secretary and senior contributors of the navy as nicely as the contributors of the group of workers from the U.S. Consul in Chennai.
Terming the match as a purple-letter day for the Indian shipbuilding industry and the Indo-US defense relationship, Indian Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar said, “We are certainly elated to welcome US Naval Ship USNS Charles Drew to India, for making her voyage appealing. India’s initiative furthermore assumes special significance in furthering the strategic partnership between India and the US. It marks the beginning place of a brand fresh chapter for deeper engagements.”
He pointed out that India has grown its exports and particularly to the us in fresh years as phase of a Made in India campaign. The country is furthermore growing its domestic shipbuilding industry. Dr, Kumar highlighted that India right this moment time has six main shipyards with revenues of nearly $2 billion.
“This inaugural repair of USNS Charles Drew is a landmark vogue to be infamous as a symbol of our bolstered US-India partnership,” said U.S. Consul Overall in Chennai Judith Ravin said. “In April, at the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, U.S. Secretary of Disclose Antony Blinken and Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin affirmed their design to explore utilizing Indian shipyards for repairs on U.S. Navy vessels. “
The USNS Charles Drew is 689 ft long with a displacement of 41,000 tons. Capable of traveling at speeds of as much as 20 knots, the ship is manned by a 53-member crew. She can be able to lift over 6,600 tons of dry cargo, over 1,700 tons of refrigerated retail outlets, and 18,000 barrels of cargo gas. MSC refers to her missions as the “issue provides to customer ships at sea.” The category is designed to provide ammunition, food, repair parts, retail outlets, and dinky portions of gas. Two of the vessels are dedicated to the U.S. Marine Corps. The Charles Drew has been running for MSC in the Pacific since 2011.
