Why in news? 

In a first, a U.S. Navy Ship, Charles Drew, arrived in India for carrying out repairs and allied services at the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai, adding a new dimension to the fast expanding Indo-U.S. strategic partnership.

Highlights:

• This is the first-ever repair of a U.S. Navy ship in India. The U.S. Navy had awarded a contract to the shipyard for undertaking maintenance of the ship. The event signifies the capabilities of Indian shipyards in the global ship repairing market.
• The USNS Charles Drew will be at the Kattupalli shipyard for a period of 11 days from August 7 to 17 and undergo repairs in various areas.
• At the India-U.S. 2+2 in April, both sides agreed to explore the possibilities of utilising Indian shipyards for the repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Maritime Sealift Command to support mid-voyage repair of U.S. Naval ships
• Today, India has six major shipyards with a turnover of nearly $2 billion. We have our own design house capable of making all kinds of state-of-the-art ships.
• The country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is a shining example of the growth of the industry. In the next two or three 3 years, India will see the first large-size marine diesel engine being designed and developed in the country

• In a big step towards ship building efforts, a decision has been made to develop the capabilities of naval shipyards and marine diesel engines in India of six megawatts and above will be designed and manufactured in the country. It has been decided to develop the diesel marine engine under the ‘make-one’ procedure wherein the government provides 70% assistance to the project cost for design and development of the engine.