Journalism of Courage
Less than a fortnight after it was formally commissioned in the Russian town of Severodvinsk,Indias newest and largest warship the INS Vikramaditya has begun its long journey home.
The aircraft carrier left the Sevmash shipyard on Tuesday after a nine year long refit and refurbish programme and will make its way to Murmansk in Northern Russia.
The carrier,which is currently in the White Sea,will refuel in Murmansk for a few days and will be joined by a Talwar class frigate and refueler ship INS Deepak on its journey to Karwar in India.
The ship will traverse three oceans and several seas to the port of Karwar. It is planned that the aircraft carrier will reach India by January end. While crossing the distance,the crew will check the (air) conditioning system which should be tested at full load in the tropical climate of the Indian ocean, a Sevmash spokesperson said.
Besides an Indian crew,the shop also has a team of shipyard specialists 177 persons who helped test the carrier. A part of the team will remain in India for a year as part of the guarantee contract.
A detailed service support contract for the life time of the ship 20 to 40 years will also be negotiated within the next year.
