Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag-Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) ENC said that Eastern Naval Command (ENC) is likely to induct 20 to 25 new warships by 2037. These include the Nilgiri class frigates, Next Generation Corvettes, Diving Support Vessels, Survey Vessels, Anti-Submarine Warfare shallow watercrafts, Nuclear submarines, multi-role MH 60R Helicopters, upgraded anti- submarine Kamov 28 Helicopters, and Medium lift C-295 aircraft.
He said that the first of the Survey Vessels, Sandhayak is likely to be commissioned early next year. The diving support vessels for the Indian Navy are being built by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) at Visakhapatnam. The shipyard has also been contracted to build five Fleet Support Ships, which is a major project that will enhance the Indian Navy’s blue-water capabilities.
In the near future, the force levels at the Eastern Naval Command are also going to be enhanced with INS Mumbai joining the Eastern Fleet in a few days, all the Delhi class destroyers – that is Delhi, Mysore and Mumbai will henceforth be based at Visakhapatnam, he added.
Speaking about resurfacing of the runway at Dega in Vizag city, Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar said that resurfacing of the runway at Dega would be completed by March in 2024. The work is being progressed in phases to ensure minimal disruption to civil flying. During the planning phase of the resurfacing project, extensive consultations were done with all concerned stakeholders including the commercial operators, to arrive at the most optimal way ahead to progress the resurfacing, he added.
He said that the Indian Navy is committed to providing a world class airfield to the city of Visakhapatnam, which meets the highest standard of aviation safety.
Reinforcing Indian Navy's position as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and 'First Responder' in the Indian Ocean Region, the vice admiral said assets of the Eastern Naval Command are always ready to respond to any eventuality. Recently, Indian Nationals from conflict-ridden Sudan were evacuated as part of Op Kaveri by an ENC ship that was deployed for anti-piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Similarly, ENC ships also provided aid to Myanmar as part of Op Karuna consequent to the devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha. In May this year, P8I aircraft carried out extensive search for, and located a capsized Chinese fishing vessel and dropped a search and rescue kit at about 1,852 km from the Indian coast to rescue stranded fishermen.
(With inputs from agencies)