KARWAR: India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, which had suffered damage recently after a fire broke out in the engine room, leading to the death of a naval officer, will be back in the thick of action. The vessel will participate in the 17th edition of the Indo-French naval exercise ‘Varuna 19.1’ which began off the Goa coast on Wednesday.
A naval officer said INS Vikramaditya will join the exercise in a day or two. Experts team from Mumbai had arrived in Karwar to repair the damage on the ship after the incident. The repair work is going on round the clock and the vessel will be ready by Thursday or Friday.
According to the Indian Navy, the 10-day exercise will be in two phases — the harbour phase in Goa which will include cross-visits, professional interactions and discussions and sports events, and the second sea phase which will comprise various exercises across the spectrum of maritime operations.
The second segment of the exercise, Varuna 19.2, is scheduled to be held towards the end of May in Djibouti, East Africa, where the French navy has a strategic base.
The bilateral naval exercise, initiated in 1983 and christened ‘Varuna’ in 2001, forms a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
The French Navy’s aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers FNS Forbin and FNS Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear submarine are participating in the exercise. From the Indian side, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, destroyer INS Mumbai, the Teg-class frigate INS Tarkash, the Shishumar-class submarine INS Shankul and the Deepak- class fleet tanker INS Deepak are taking part.