India To Start MCMV Manufacturing Next Year

India will start building Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMV) from the Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) by next year.

"The technology acquisition parameter is in the final stage, then there will be a final negotiation of price and the next year, actual construction of mines counter measure vessel will start," Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar was quoted as saying by Business Standard during the inauguration of the HAL-Safran joint venture on helicopter maintenance and repair center in Goa Sunday.

In March last year, India's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) awarded INR 30,000 crore (US$4.8 billion) contract for 12 mine countermeasure vessels (MCMV) or minesweepers to Goa Shipyard.

Indian Defense Ministry in November 2014, had scrapped INR 2,700 crore (US$4.3 billion) for acquiring eight minesweeper vehicles from South Korean firm, Kangnam after the firm had employed middlemen, which is a violation of the tender conditions.

India still need to sign contracts for transfer of technology of the MCMV manufacturing.

“Contracts for transfer of technology about the minesweepers should be signed soon,” Vice Admiral (Controller Warship Production and Acquisition) G S Pabby had said in September this year.

"It is moving very well. We are monitoring it very closely because we badly need these ships. We have finalised almost all issues related to transfer of technology from the foreign collaborators and that contract should be signed very soon," he said.