NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy's frontline guided-missile frigate INS Betwa is set to shed its ageing steam propulsion system for diesel power under a nearly Rs 499 crore refit contract signed with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on Wednesday.
The defence ministry inked the contract for the "normal refit and re-powering" of the 3,850-tonne Brahmaputra-class frigate in the capital. The warship will also receive a modernised weapon suite to strengthen its combat capability and operational effectiveness.
The re-powering will involve replacing Betwa's steam-based propulsion machinery with a diesel engine-based system. It is a complex overhaul that entails stripping out the ship's boilers and turbines and re-engineering its machinery spaces.
The Betwa refit project will involve more than 50 micro, small and medium enterprises and generate significant employment across the Indian shipbuilding and ancillary industries, the ministry said.
The ministry also pitched the contract as a major boost to the government's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make-in-India' push, reinforcing the country's indigenous naval ship repair and maintenance capabilities.
Betwa will be the second Brahmaputra-class frigate to make the steam-to-diesel switch at CSL, after sister ship INS Beas, which has already undergone a mid-life upgrade and re-powering at the Kochi yard.
Built by state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, the three frigates (Brahmaputra, Betwa and Beas) were commissioned between 2000 and 2005. Betwa joined the fleet in 2004.
The class has had a troubled run. INS Betwa capsized while being undocked after a medium refit at Mumbai's Naval Dockyard in 2016. The accident left two sailors dead. It had to be righted by a US-based salvage firm in 2017 before repairs could begin.
Later in July 2024, the lead ship INS Brahmaputra was ravaged by a fire during a refit at the same dockyard and keeled over, with one sailor killed.
CSL, which built India's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, has now secured both Brahmaputra-class re-powering contracts awarded so far.
