NEW DELHI \u2014 Only private shipyards will receive a tender to make six air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines if the Defence Ministry follows the recommendations of an expert committee, an MoD source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US $12 billion tender will be sent to private yards Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering and Larsen & Toubro, the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indian Navy’s $12 billion tender to acquire six Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) enabled submarines,, will only be sent to domestic private sector shipyards- Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company (cq) and Larsen &Toubro (L&T) Ltd. (cq) , if the recommendations of an expert committee currently assessing capabilities of all shipyards to construct submarines , are accepted, said a Ministry of Defense (MoD) source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Navy An expert <\/span> committee of the Indian Navy<\/span>, headed by Vice Adm. A.V. Subhedar, controller of warship production and acquisition, also assessed state-owned Hindustan Shipyard and Mazagon Docks. He made his remarks during his first presentation to the MoD this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition of Integrated Headquarters Vice-Admiral A.V. Subhedar after assessing state owned Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (cq) , Mazgaon Docks Ltd. (MDL) (cq) , and private sector L&T Ltd. and Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company made these observations during the first presentation to the MoD last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the committee is expected to give its final recommendations to the MoD only <\/span>next month, the observations made by members during their presentation cannot be easily ignored by the MoD, the source said, because the Indian <\/span>Navy wants a time-bound delivery of submarines to add to its falling strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The committee members said that, while the state- owned ship<\/span>yards have both <\/span> the capability and capacity to build submarines, they should not be involved in the competition of the forthcoming tender under Project 75. The state-owned yards I to build conventional submarines with (AIP) because they (state owned) <\/span> have their hands full with excessive orders and have poor delivery records of delivery<\/span>. For example, the French Scorpene submarine being built Mazagon Docks MDL <\/span>is already behind scheduled<\/span> by more than over <\/span> four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In comparison, private sector shipyards <\/span> Pipavav and L&T have the capability and capacity and can delivery give <\/span> quickly delivery compared to state owned shipyards where decision making is slow<\/span>, the committee members said in their presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of the two approved private sector ship<\/span>yards, Pipavav Defence has no experience of <\/span> manufacturing submarines but has have <\/span>a technology tie-up with DCNS of France. L&T while Larsen & Toubro (L&T) <\/span> has been involved with homemade nuclear submarine Arihant. (cq).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The MoD is now <\/span>preparing to issue a fresh rquest for proposal (RFP) <\/span> in the “Buy and Make (India)” category, which is reserved only <\/span> for domestic companies that can who can further <\/span> tie up with overseas shipyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In October, the government of The <\/span> Narendra Modi (cq) government in October 2014 <\/span> reversed an earlier<\/span> proposal to float a global tender for the submarines under which two were to be purchased bought straight off <\/span> from the <\/span>overseas ship<\/span>yards while the remaining four submarines would have been built by only in <\/span>state-owned shipyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time of floating of a global Request for Information (RFI) in 2010-which has now been scrapped by the Modi government, DCNS of France, Russia with its Rubin Amur 1650 submarine and HDW of Germany with Type 214, Spain’s Navantia with its S-80 submarines had evinced interest in the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n