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The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on Wednesday said that due to the prevailing peak monsoon conditions and associated operational risks, it will take more time to extract oil from the Liberian-flagged ship that sank off the Kerala coast last month. The DGS said that the present weather conditions provide only a "narrow and fragmented working window", which is unsuitable for "stable and safe" oil extraction efforts. "Further delay would provide a more reliable window to safely conduct hot tapping and oil recovery," it said. It further said that the vessel Nand Saarthi -- from where saturation diving operations for oil extraction were to be conducted -- remains at Kochi port due to prevailing adverse sea conditions. "Upon improvement in weather, it will sail to the wreck site. Oil recovery equipment onboard Nand Saarthi is to be transferred to Canara Megh for the next phase. All accessories and gases remain available and are being held for deployment once the new contractor .
The defence ministry on Tuesday approved the procurement of future-ready combat vehicles (FRCVs) for modernisation of the Army's tank fleet and air defence fire control radars, among other proposals. The proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The DAC "accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 10 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore," the ministry said in a statement. Of the total cost of the AoNs, 99 per cent is from indigenous sources under the "Buy (Indian)" and "Buy (lndian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)" categories, it added. "For modernisation of the tank fleet of the Indian Army, the proposal for procurement of Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) has been cleared," the statement said. The FRCVs will be futuristic main battle tanks with superior mobility, all-terrain ability, multi-layered protections, precision and lethal fires and real-time situational awareness.
The defence ministry on Friday sealed a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure six Dornier aircraft at a cost of Rs 667 crore for the Indian Air Force. The addition of the six aircraft will further bolster the operational capability of the IAF in remote areas, the defence ministry said announcing the contract. The Dornier-228 aircraft is a highly versatile multi-purpose light transport aircraft. It has been developed specifically to meet the manifold requirements of utility and commuter transport as well as for maritime surveillance. The aircraft will have an upgraded fuel-efficient engine coupled with a five-bladed composite propeller, the ministry said. "The Ministry of Defence, on March 10, signed a contract for procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of Rs 667 crore," it said. "The aircraft was used by IAF for route transport roles and communication duties. Subsequently, it has also