L&T inks ship repair pact with US Navy

livemint.com:

New Delhi: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Tuesday said it has signed a master ship repair agreement (MSRA) with the United States Navy. In a statement to stock exchanges, the engineering behemoth said that the agreement follows an elaborate assessment of the company’s state-of-the-art Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai, undertaken by the US Navy and the Military Sealift Command. The shipyard is also qualified by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard for warship refits.

AT Ramchandani, executive vice president and head of L&T Defence, said, “This agreement marks a global recognition of our unmatched capabilities and facilities to undertake quality ship repairs and refits. L&T will dedicate all its dynamism, innovation, and Shipbuilding 4.0 techniques to meet the quality and delivery requirements of the US side." USNS Salvor was received at L&T’s Shipyard for voyage repairs. The ship was received by U.S.

Consul General in Chennai, Judith Ravin, Ramchandani, and other senior officials of the US Embassy and L&T. “This MSRA is yet another milestone in our ever-expanding U.S.-India partnership. This historic agreement is a direct outcome of the 2022 U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and demonstrates U.S.

commitment to utilizing repair facilities regularly at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli. This agreement will serve to strengthen our two nations’ strategic partnership and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Ravin said. L&T’s Kattupalli shipyard is a modern shipbuilding and ship repair facilities equipped with a heavy ship-lift, multiple dry berths, and wet berths to concurrently enable building of new ships and undertaking repairs and refits.