India has welcomed a US Navy ship for repairs and maintenance for the first time. Charles Drew, a US naval ship, arrived yesterday at L&T’s Katupalli Shipyard in Ennore, near Chennai for repairs and maintenance. As far as we know, this is the first time a US Navy ship has been repaired in an Indian shipyard.
There will be repairs on various areas of the USNS Charles Drew for 11 days at the Kattupalli shipyard. Indian shipyards have demonstrated their capabilities on the global market for ship repairs in this event. Using advanced maritime technology platforms, Indian shipyards provide a wide range and cost-effective ship repair and maintenance services.
According to Ajay Kumar, the event was a ‘red-letter day’ for both the Indian industry and bilateral defense relations. He said, “The initiative also assumes significance in advancing the strategic partnership between India and the US. It marks the start of a new phase for deepening engagement.” He further added that a lot of attention has been paid to defense industry cooperation with the US and that both nations have been enlarging the scope and scale of their relationship.
