Scorpene submarines data: Leak not from our side, says MDL

Mumbai, Aug 25 The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), where the Scorpene submarines are being built, today said the data leak did not take place from its end and that it was assisting the Navy in the probe.

A day after the data leak on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company came to light, an MDL official said there were stringent norms at MDL on data security.

"We are helping Navy in the probe. We are certain the data leak was not from our side," an MDL official told PTI here.

"It needs to be verified if the leaked documents are authentic," the official said, reacting to reports of the massive data leak. There are stringent norms at MDL on data security, the official said.

MDL head Rear Admiral Rahul Shrawat was not available for comments. French shipbuilder DCNS has provided technology for the Rs 23,562-crore project. MDL is scheduled to deliver the first of the six submarines to the Indian Navy early next year and the remaining are likely to be delivered by 2020.

According to media reports, the documents running into 22,400 pages detail the combat capabilities of French-designed Scorpene-class submarines.

The combat capability of the scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of USD 3.5 billion by French shipbuilder DCNS, went public when an Australian newspaper, "The Australian", put the details on the website.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had yesterday ordered the Navy Chief to go into the "entire issue". A report is also being sought from DCNS. "What I understand is there is a hacking. So we will find out all this," Parrikar had said.

PTI