IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Jan 31:
Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command, visited Karwar Naval Base on Saturday and Sunday and took stock of the activities, including the ongoing work of Project Seabird Phase II.
He was received at Karwar Naval Base located at Karwar district in Karnataka by Rear Admiral Atul Anand, Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Naval Area (FOK) and presented a Guard of Honour.
During the visit, Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, reviewed the operational preparedness of ships and units at Karwar. He was briefed on the progress of infrastructure development under Project Seabird Phase II A by Vice Admiral T Sobti, Director General, Project Seabird.
The FOC-in-C was conducted around the Karwar Base and provided on-site briefings on ongoing marine works, modernisation of Naval Ship Repair Yard, other elements of marine infrastructure development and town planning aspects in the base.
INS Kadamba, Karwar is currently the third-largest Indian naval base, and is expected to become the largest naval base in the eastern hemisphere after completion of expansion Phase II. The Navy’s lone aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is based at Karwar. The base also has the country’s first sealift facility, a unique “shiplift” and transfer system for docking and undocking ships and submarines.
Project Seabird
Project Seabird involves construction of a naval base over an area of 11,169 acres. Phase I completed in 2005 comprised construction of a deep-sea harbour, breakwaters dredging, a township, a naval hospital, a dockyard uplift centre and a ship lift.
Phase-II of Project Seabird cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 2012, envisages expanding facilities to house additional warships and set up a new Naval Air Station, among other plans.
Efforts to Boost Self Reliance in Indian Navy
Over two-thirds of the Navy’s modernisation budget has been spent on indigenous procurement in the last five financial years. Out of the 48 ships and submarines, 46 are being inducted through indigenous construction. Project 75(i) envisages indigenous construction of submarines equipped with the state-of-the-art Air Independent Propulsion system at an estimated cost of Rs. 43,000 crore.
Aircraft Carrier Vikrant likely to be commissioned in August this year, is a shining example of the Navy’s self-reliance efforts. The Navy is continuously strengthening India’s relations with its maritime neighbours with its focus on ‘SAGAR’ (Security & Growth for All in Region).
