India commences first ever MRO on a USN vessel
USNS Charles Drew arrives at L&T’s Kattupalli shipyard for milestone MRO work in India. (Indian MoD)
The USN has appointed an Indian shipyard to maintain one of its vessels for the first time.
For the first time, a USN ship will utilise maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in India, with USNS Charles Drew arriving at Kattupalli Port on 7 August.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will maintain and repair this Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship at its shipyard in Kattupalli near Chennai. The 42,674t full-load vessel is expected to remain at the shipyard for 11 days.
The USN’s Marine Sealift Command had evaluated several Indian shipyards before selecting L&T. The private company then received a contract from the US for this work.
This all followed a US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in April,
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