Arrival of Gorshkov delayed by a year

The much-awaited arrival of the $2.3 billion Russian-origin aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to bolster Indian Navy's capability has now been delayed by one year, top officials have confirmed.

“We have handed over the revised delivery schedule to India. The ship is expected to be transferred to India in the fourth quarter of 2013,” Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said here on Wednesday. He was speaking after the 12th round meeting of India-Russia inter-governmental commission on military technical cooperation.

During three months’ trials in the White and Barents Sea, malfunctioning of boilers was noticed and the carrier was brought back to the shipyard where extensive inspections were on to find the cause.