Russia on Monday finally transferred the much-expected K-152 Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine - an Akula-II Class submarine - on a 10-year lease to the Indian Navy, Russian news agencies reported. The Nerpa was handed over to the Indian Navy in a ceremony at 10.30 am local time at the Zvezda shipyard in the far eastern territory of Primorye.
Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra attended the ceremony along with a delegation from Russian arms exports agency Rosoboronexport, the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Russian Pacific Fleet command.
It began with the playing of the national anthems of India and Russia after which the Indian flag was hoisted over the submarine and the veil was removed from the deckhouse that had concealed the rechristened name - INS Chakra - of the 8,140-ton Nerpa submarine.
'The press was not invited to the transfer ceremony at the request of the Indian side,' Interfax-AVN Military News agency quoted an anonymous source as saying.
'From now on, the submarine will be operated by an Indianonly crew without the involvement of Russian specialists,' another source told the agency.
'Both sides have signed all the transfer documents,' he said.
India becomes the sixth country in the world to operate the nuclear submarine after the US, Russia, Britain, France and China.
Nerpa was to be delivered to the navy in 2008. But a fire accident aboard the vessel almost completely destroyed the submarine and could not be delivered on schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment