Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemical and fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya bid adieu to Ex-INS Viraat in a ceremony at Alang in Gujarat today. INS Viraat which was decommissioned from the Indian Navy after 30 years of glorious service, reached Alang for recycling.
In his address, Shri Mandaviya said Viraat is longest serving warship which served the nation for 30 years in the Indian Navy. He added that Viraat's services do not end here, as Viraat has been brought to the home of one of the world's largest ship breaking destination i.e Alang. Here, it will provide employment to thousands of people, the Minister said.The minister said that proposals for converting Viraat into a museum has been received, but it was neither backed by any firm studies nor was financially viable. He also added that the government is planning in advance this time so that the INS ship which will be decommissioned in future, can be converted into museum.The minister also reiterated about creating the state of the art maritime museum at the Lothal, to recreate the history of Harappan civilization.
The Minister said that to create bigger markets for ships recycling industry, India has acceded to ‘Hong Kong International Convention for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009’ on 28th November, 2019 and passed the ‘The Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019’. Accession to Hong Kong Convention by India and enactment of Recycling of Ships Act, 2019 raised the profile of our ship recycling industry as being environment friendly and safety conscious and would go a long way in consolidating India's position as the market leader, he added.Shri Mandaviya said that it will also ensure adequate safety of the yard workers, along with boosting employment and business opportunities.
Shri Bhupendra Singh Chudasama, Education Minister, Government of Gujarat, SmtVibhavariben Dave, MLA, Gujarat, Shri Purvir Das, NM Naval commanding officer, Porbandar along with other dignitaries were also present at the occasion.
About INS Viraat
INS Viraat, the second Centaur-Class aircraft carrier in service which has spent 30 years in the Indian Navy and 27 years in the Royal Navy, was decommissioned on 6th March, 2017. INS Viraat holds the world record as mentioned in the Guinness Book of records for being the longest serving warship of the world.Under the Indian Flag, the ship has clocked more than 22,622 flying hours by various aircrafts in the past three decades and has spent nearly 2252 days at sea sailing across 5,88,287 nautical miles (10,94,215 KM). This implies that Viraat has spent seven years at sea, circumnavigating the globe 27 times. Since its inception, the warship has had a total of 80,715 hours of boilers running.‘Mother’, as she was fondly referred to in the Navy, had been commanded by 22 Captains since 1987. She was the Flagship of the Navy since her inception. Around 40 Flag officers including five Chiefs of Naval Staff were raised and groomed in her lap.
About Alang
Alang in Gujrat is one of the world’s biggest ship recycling yards where around 30% of the global ships (250-280) are recycled annually.Alang provides employment to over more than 30,000 people various states, especially fromOdisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, and supports 3.5 Lakh people indirectly through other business activities.
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YB/AP/JK