UK Royal Navy’s two vessels dock at L&T Shipbuilding's TN facility for maintenance

Getting repaired in Tamil Nadu: For the first time, two vessels from the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, under the ownership of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, have docked at Larsen and Toubro's Shipbuilding facility in Kattupalli near Chennai for scheduled maintenance activities. 

According to a press release from L&T Shipbuilding, RFA 'Argus' and RFA 'Lyme Bay' have arrived at the shipyard situated in Ennore, North of Chennai, for their respective maintenance periods, termed as 'Assisted Maintenance Period' and 'Self Maintenance Period'.

JD Patil, a member of the Executive Council of Management and Advisor to CMD at L&T, shared the successful collaboration between the Royal Navy and L&T Shipbuilding, highlighting it as a testament to the partnership spirit. He noted that this collaboration is facilitated by the logistics-sharing agreement inked between the United Kingdom and India in 2022.

The development marks the first instance of Royal Navy ships undergoing scheduled maintenance routines in India. British Deputy High Commissioner Oliver Ballhatchet expressed that this move underscores a step towards realising the India-UK 2030 roadmap. He underlined that it reflects a mutual understanding of the global security challenges prevalent in the Indian Ocean Region.

RFA 'Argus' serves as a primary casualty receiving ship and aviation support vessel, while RFA 'Lyme Bay' operates as a landing ship dock under the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

(With PTI inputs)