<p>The fatal accident involving an Indian warship in Mumbai on Friday may further delay delivery of three potent warships with stealth features to the Indian Navy, though construction began a decade ago.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Prior to the accident, the Navy was to induct the first of the three Kolkata-class destroyers as INS Kolkata in June 2014, followed by INS Kochi in 2015 and INS Chennai in 2016. <br /><br />The death of a Navy officer may have now pushed back the deadline by several weeks, though the Navy is hopeful of a speedy solution.<br /><br />The Rs 45,000-crore P-15A are behind schedule by several months. Constructed by Mazgaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, the commissioning of the first ship, Kolkata, was initially planned in 2011. <br /><br />The delivery deadline was later pushed to the second half of 2013 and subsequently to 2014, adding to the woes of the Navy. As a result, P-15A now have a cost escalation of 225 per cent from the first estimate.MDL is a defence PSU and reports to Defence Minister A K Antony.<br /><br />The ship has not yet been delivered to the Navy. <br /><br />It is yet to receive the name Kolkata as well as the INS prefix, which will come only after the commissioning. <br /><br />Identified as Yard-701, the ship was undergoing machinery trials at Mumbai Port Trust when the accident occurred.<br /><br />Kolkata's keel was laid in September, 2003. Ten years after construction, the ship was almost ready for the user trial when the accident happened, killing Commander Kuntal Wadhwa. <br /><br /> For the second ship, Kochi (Yard-702), keel was laid in 2005, whereas the keel of the third ship, Chennai (Yard-703), was laid in 2006.<br /><br />They are the follow-on of indigenous Delhi-class destroyers INS Delhi, INS Mysore and INS Mumbai, commissioned between 1997 and 2001.</p>
<p>The fatal accident involving an Indian warship in Mumbai on Friday may further delay delivery of three potent warships with stealth features to the Indian Navy, though construction began a decade ago.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Prior to the accident, the Navy was to induct the first of the three Kolkata-class destroyers as INS Kolkata in June 2014, followed by INS Kochi in 2015 and INS Chennai in 2016. <br /><br />The death of a Navy officer may have now pushed back the deadline by several weeks, though the Navy is hopeful of a speedy solution.<br /><br />The Rs 45,000-crore P-15A are behind schedule by several months. Constructed by Mazgaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, the commissioning of the first ship, Kolkata, was initially planned in 2011. <br /><br />The delivery deadline was later pushed to the second half of 2013 and subsequently to 2014, adding to the woes of the Navy. As a result, P-15A now have a cost escalation of 225 per cent from the first estimate.MDL is a defence PSU and reports to Defence Minister A K Antony.<br /><br />The ship has not yet been delivered to the Navy. <br /><br />It is yet to receive the name Kolkata as well as the INS prefix, which will come only after the commissioning. <br /><br />Identified as Yard-701, the ship was undergoing machinery trials at Mumbai Port Trust when the accident occurred.<br /><br />Kolkata's keel was laid in September, 2003. Ten years after construction, the ship was almost ready for the user trial when the accident happened, killing Commander Kuntal Wadhwa. <br /><br /> For the second ship, Kochi (Yard-702), keel was laid in 2005, whereas the keel of the third ship, Chennai (Yard-703), was laid in 2006.<br /><br />They are the follow-on of indigenous Delhi-class destroyers INS Delhi, INS Mysore and INS Mumbai, commissioned between 1997 and 2001.</p>
