By: Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — India's state-owned shipyard is to float a global tender in the next two months seeking consultancy to help build two midget submarines for the Indian Navy, according to a source in the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) was nominated this month to be awarded the $400 million deal to build two midgets, and the tender will be formally awarded in the next one month, the MoD source added.
For the Navy's Marine Commando Force, the midgets will transport armament and equipment from the mother craft to attack targets such as ships riding at anchor and coastal installations, according to a Navy official. The subs will also carry out covert surveillance attacks in shallow waters, the official added.
However, domestic shipyards are unhappy over the MoD's decision to award the tender to HSL without competition.
An executive with the privately owned shipyard Larsen &Toubro (L&T) questioned the ministry's move to nominate HSL, "which has no technical know-how or skill to build midgets."
"Now HSL will hunt overseas for technical consultancy to build the midgets. This is not in the spirit of Make in India policy," the L&T executive said. "L&T has already made known its displeasure [about the tender nomination] to MoD through industry associations."
The executive said the midget program should have been put to competition. "HSL lacked orders and was given the midgets order (in 2012). However, since then HSL has got huge orders for fleet support ship as well as has a promise for two landing platform decks (dock)," the executive said.
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