INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before beingdecommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed fromMumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district next month tobe dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said on Tuesday. The longest serving warship, inducted into the IndianNavy in 1987, was bought by Shree Ram Group for Rs 38.54 croreat an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade CorporationLimited last month.
It will likely be towed from the Naval Dockyard inMumbai to ship breaking yard at Alang next month, thecompany's chairman Mukesh Patel said. "We have made the entire payment and received deliveryorder from the government. So, depending on the monsooncondition, it will be towed to Alang from the Naval Dockyardin Mumbai where it is stationed now, most likely by mid or endof September after receiving the required permission from theDirectorate General of Shipping," Patel said.
It will take around three days for the ship to betowed from Mumbai to Alang. It will be scrapped at thecountry's first certified eco-friendly ship recycling yard innine to 12 months, he said. INS Viraat, the second Centaur-class aircraft carrier,was in service for 30 years before being decommissioned inMarch 2017.
There were proposals in the past to preserve it as amaritime museum. In July last year, the central government said inParliament that the decision to scrap INS Viraat was taken indue consultation with the Indian Navy.
The aircraft carrier, in its earlier avatar, had wonthe Falklands War against Argentina in 1982 for the RoyalBritish Navy. It weighs about 27,800 tonnes and served in theBritish Navy as HMS Hermes from November 1959 to April 1984and after refurbishment, was commissioned into the IndianNavy.
In late 80s, the Indian Navy purchased it at a cost ofUSD 65 million and it was re-commissioned on May 12, 1987. INS Viraat is the second aircraft carrier to be brokendown in India.
In 2014, INS Vikrant was dismantled in Mumbai. PTI KAPDGK ..
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