Strategic shipyards to get a facelift
To begin with, the defence department has appointed Mazagaon Dock as the co-ordinating agency that will appoint a consultant for laying out the details of this master modernisation plan.
By Debjoy Sengupta, TNN |
KOLKATA: INDIA’S three strategic shipyards - Mazagaon Docks, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard - which are engaged in building warships, will be modernised and upgraded to the level of international shipyards across Europe, Japan and Korea.
The defence ministry has decided to plan for the second phase of modernisation, though the current round initiatives are yet to conclude. The second round of upgradation of these shipyards will be initiated by 2010-11.
“It will take another 2-3 years for the current round of modernisation to be completed. Total investment involved is about Rs 1,000 crore. We intend to conclude the plans for the second modernisation phase before the first wave is complete. This will help us prepare better for the second round,” SKK Krishnan, chairman and managing director of Mazagaon Docks, told ET.
The three docks manufacture war-vessels like destroyers, frigates, submarines, corvettes, landing ship tanks, offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol vessels for the Indian Navy. According to Mr Krishnan, these shipyards are undergoing independent modernisation programmes to enhance their respective capacities. “In order to synergise these capabilities, optimise use of available resources and further upgrade the infrastructure of these shipyards, a master concept plan is required to be prepared. The master-plan would then be the basis for the next phase of upgradation of these yards,” he said.
To begin with, the defence department has appointed Mazagaon Dock as the co-ordinating agency that will appoint a consultant for laying out the details of this master modernisation plan.
The scope for consultancy work will involve studying existing facilities of these three shipyards, ongoing modernisation work in these shipyards and identify strengths and weaknesses of the existing systems. It will also estimate the investment required and the returns of investments. The consultant will benchmark the shipyards against leading shipbuilders in Europe and Asia - Japan and Korea - to identify specific changes required to our processes, technology and facilities that will improve the productivity of the shipyards.
Interestingly, the consultant will prepare plans for an integrated shipbuilding environment to enable sharing of production processes and ship construction data among defence shipyards, using latest information technology concepts.
The defence ministry has decided to plan for the second phase of modernisation, though the current round initiatives are yet to conclude. The second round of upgradation of these shipyards will be initiated by 2010-11.
“It will take another 2-3 years for the current round of modernisation to be completed. Total investment involved is about Rs 1,000 crore. We intend to conclude the plans for the second modernisation phase before the first wave is complete. This will help us prepare better for the second round,” SKK Krishnan, chairman and managing director of Mazagaon Docks, told ET.
The three docks manufacture war-vessels like destroyers, frigates, submarines, corvettes, landing ship tanks, offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol vessels for the Indian Navy. According to Mr Krishnan, these shipyards are undergoing independent modernisation programmes to enhance their respective capacities. “In order to synergise these capabilities, optimise use of available resources and further upgrade the infrastructure of these shipyards, a master concept plan is required to be prepared. The master-plan would then be the basis for the next phase of upgradation of these yards,” he said.
To begin with, the defence department has appointed Mazagaon Dock as the co-ordinating agency that will appoint a consultant for laying out the details of this master modernisation plan.
The scope for consultancy work will involve studying existing facilities of these three shipyards, ongoing modernisation work in these shipyards and identify strengths and weaknesses of the existing systems. It will also estimate the investment required and the returns of investments. The consultant will benchmark the shipyards against leading shipbuilders in Europe and Asia - Japan and Korea - to identify specific changes required to our processes, technology and facilities that will improve the productivity of the shipyards.
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The master concept plan will cover proposals for installation of new facilities, suggestions for modification of the existing facilities and improvement of prevailing work practices to increase productivity levels and reduce shipbuilding cycle time by adopting state-of-the-art technology and work practices.Interestingly, the consultant will prepare plans for an integrated shipbuilding environment to enable sharing of production processes and ship construction data among defence shipyards, using latest information technology concepts.
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