AHMEDABAD: Around 30 per cent dismantling work of India’s decommissioned plane service ‘Viraat’ has been accomplished and your complete vessel can be dismantled in nine months, a Gujarat-based ship breaker has mentioned.
Mukesh Patel, Chairman of the Shree Ram Group at Alang in Bhavnagar district which purchased Viraat at an public sale in July final yr for Rs 38.54 crore, mentioned the agency started the dismantling course of in December.
The world’s longest-serving warship was decommissioned by the Indian Navy 4 years in the past.
It is being dismantled with the assistance of round 300 skilled employees at one of many plots owned by ship breaking agency, Patel mentioned.
“We began the dismantling course of in December final yr and hope to end the duty within the subsequent eight to nine months. We are following the worldwide norms on eco-friendly ship breaking,” he mentioned.
Viraat had reached the Alang ship breaking yard from Mumbai in September.
The centaur-class plane service was in service with the Indian Navy for 29 years earlier than being decommissioned in March 2017.
There was a marketing campaign on social media to save the warship and convert it right into a maritime heritage museum however nothing got here out of it.
The Centre in July 2019 knowledgeable the Parliament that the choice to scrap Viraat was taken after due session with the Indian Navy.
In a last-ditch effort, Mumbai-based Envitech Marine Consultants had approached Patel to purchase the ship for changing it right into a museum, for which Patel had sought Rs 100 crore and an NOC from the Central authorities for the resale.
“I used to be prepared to promote the ship for changing it right into a museum and even delayed the dismantling for about two months.
But that firm couldn’t procure the NOC from the Centre, which is obligatory in such offers,” mentioned Patel.
At current, the ship is anchored round 300 metres off the shore and is being lower into items utilizing fuel cutters and heavy responsibility cranes.
After a good portion is lower, will probably be pulled ashore subsequent month for additional dismantling, he mentioned.
“The ski-jump was lower first when dismantling course of started.
To keep stability and maintain the ship afloat, we then lower aside the again portion and eliminated some metallic from the center.
Reduction in weight will assist pulling it ashore,” he mentioned.
There is not any clear estimate about how a lot metallic can be salvaged from the ship, Patel mentioned.
“All the memorabilia and elements just like the steering wheel had been eliminated by the Navy earlier than the ship was handed over to us.
Though the engine was there, propellers andshaft had been eliminated earlier than we acquired the possession, which is a regular process,” he mentioned.
Viraat is the second plane service to be dismantled in India.
In 2014, Vikrant was dismantled in Mumbai.
