With the mammoth aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya slated to reach Indian shores early next year, the government is scrambling to launch the long-delayed expansion of the strategic Karwar naval base in coastal Karnataka at a cost of around Rs 13,000 crore. The Phase-II A expansion of Karwar base, which gives the country both strategic depth and operational flexibility on the western seaboard, is now being sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security for the final nod after defence minister A K Antony approved it last week.
Defence secretary Shashikant Sharma visited Karwar recently to get a firsthand look at the naval base, which can currently base 11 major warships and 10 smaller ships after Phase-I completion at a cost of Rs 2,629 crore.
The Navy will be able to berth 32 major warships and submarines and various other ships, including 10 of the 80 fast-interceptor craft (FICs) to be acquired for coastal security force Sagar Prahari Bal, after Phase-IIA is completed by 2018-19.INS Vikramaditya, or the 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov being refitted by Russia for $2.33 billion, will be inducted much before that. With the congested Mumbai harbour not capable of handling INS Vikramaditya, some warships may have to be shifted out from Karwar to accommodate the carrier.
Karwar is India’s third major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, while Pakistan already has five at Gwadar, Ormara, Karachi, Pasni and Jiwani. Under Phase-II, Karwar will get an airbase, armament depot, dockyard complex and missile silos, apart from additional jetties, berthing and anchorage facilities.
Defence secretary Shashikant Sharma visited Karwar recently to get a firsthand look at the naval base, which can currently base 11 major warships and 10 smaller ships after Phase-I completion at a cost of Rs 2,629 crore.
The Navy will be able to berth 32 major warships and submarines and various other ships, including 10 of the 80 fast-interceptor craft (FICs) to be acquired for coastal security force Sagar Prahari Bal, after Phase-IIA is completed by 2018-19.INS Vikramaditya, or the 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov being refitted by Russia for $2.33 billion, will be inducted much before that. With the congested Mumbai harbour not capable of handling INS Vikramaditya, some warships may have to be shifted out from Karwar to accommodate the carrier.
Karwar is India’s third major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, while Pakistan already has five at Gwadar, Ormara, Karachi, Pasni and Jiwani. Under Phase-II, Karwar will get an airbase, armament depot, dockyard complex and missile silos, apart from additional jetties, berthing and anchorage facilities.
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