Private warship builders live on scraps, figures tell the sad tale

The defence ministry claims public and private shipyards compete on equal terms

An hour’s drive north of Chennai, Larsen & Toubro’s shipyard at Kathupalli sprawls over 900 acres, a spacious, modern facility vastly different from the cramped precincts of defence public sector undertaking (DPSU) shipyards like Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).

A fortnight ago, Kathupalli delivered to the navy a  Rs 4.68 billion floating dry dock, which is now operationally deployed, repairing naval warships in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Meanwhile, the first of seven offshore patrol vessels that L&T (Larsen & Toubro) is building for the Coast Guard has concluded successful sea trials. The new vessel is