India’s Navy’s decommissioned warship INS Viraat, which holds the Guinness world record for being the longest-serving warship, will be dismantled in September.
INS Viraat is currently stationed at the Naval dockyard in Mumbai and will have to be towed to Alang. It will take about four days for the warship to be towed to the ship breaking yard
cat one of the biggest ship recyclers at the Alang ship-breaking yard in Gujarat. The Shree Ram Group bought the massive aircraft carrier that was decommissioned after serving the Indian Navy for 30 years.
Mukesh Patel, Chairman, Shree Ram Group, said: “We received the delivery order for the ship today after making necessary payments. As per the plan, it will reach Alang in the first week of September. Even if it gets delayed due to monsoon or other factors, it should be here by the end of September.” INS Viraat is currently stationed at the Naval dockyard in Mumbai and will have to be towed to Alang. It will take about four days for the warship to be towed to the ship breaking yard.
This will be the second aircraft carrier to be dismantled in the past six years in India. In 2014, INS Vikrant was broken down in Mumbai. According to Gujarat Maritime Board officials, this will be the biggest naval ship to be dismantled at Alang.
INS Viraat was originally commissioned by the British Navy in 1959. It could carry 24 aircraft, including choppers and jets. The aircraft carrier was decommissioned in March 2017 and stripped of all equipment, including the weapon systems, communication devices, etc. It would take the dismantlers eight to 10 months to completely break it down.