Italy: INS Shakti, new Indian warship launched

Sestri Ponente, Oct 12: Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched INS Shakti, a new warship built for the Indian Navy at an Italian shipyard on Monday, Oct 11.

INS Shakti was launched at the Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa and the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri had signed a 300 million euro contract in Apr 2008 to build two vessels.

At the time of the launch, Homai Saha, wife of India"s Ambassador to Italy Debabrata Saha was present and she inaugurated the warship.

The INS Shakti is expected to be commissioned within two years. Trials will start in Dec.

The INS Deepak, a Navy warship designed and built in Italy, is at an advanced stage of trials and it is expected to be delivered to the Indian Navy at the end of 2010.

Both the INS Shakti and the INS Deepak have been built in Italy with double hulls to provide greater safety in the event of oil spillage.

OneIndia News