UK Navy ships to undergo maintenance at L&T shipbuilding’s TN facility

CHENNAI: For the first time, two ships of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, owned by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, have arrived at Larsen and Toubro’s shipbuilding facility at Kattupalli near here for scheduled maintenance activities.

RFA ‘Argus’ and RFA ‘Lyme Bay’ arrived at the shipyard located in Ennore, North of Chennai for ‘Assisted Maintenance Period’ and Self Maintenance Period”, respectively, a press release from L&T Shipbuilding said on Friday.

“The successful collaboration between the Royal Navy and L&T Shipbuilding exemplifies the spirit of partnership and is a direct result of the logistics-sharing agreement signed between the United Kingdom and India in 2022,” L&T member of executive council of management and advisor to CMD JD Patil said.

“This is the first instance that Royal Navy ships are undergoing scheduled maintenance routines in India. This move signifies a step towards India-UK 2030 roadmap and reflects a shared understanding of the global security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region,” British deputy high commissioner Oliver Ballhatchet said.

The RFA ‘Argus’ is a primary casualty receiving ship and aviation support vessel, while RFA ‘Lyme Bay’ is a landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.