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"All the problems with the boiler insulation
have been fixed by Russian specialists with the
use of Russian-made components," the source
said, adding that the ship will sail for additional
sea trials in the White Sea in June.
The Vikramaditya, which is already years past
its original 2008 delivery date, was supposed
to have been handed over Dec 4, 2012, but sea
trials in September revealed the ship's boilers
were not fully functional.
The source of the problem, which reduced the
ship's maximum speed, was due to use of low-grade
Chinese-made firebricks in the boiler insulation
instead of asbestos, according to Russian shipbuilders.
Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy director of Russia's
Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service
(FSVTS), said previously that the carrier will
be delivered to India in November 2013.
New Delhi has shown signs of impatience over
the Vikramaditya's tortuous refit and, at a meeting
in October 2012, demanded compensation from the
Russians for the latest delay in delivery, Defense
News reported. The Russians rejected that claim,
saying the parts which failed had been bought
by the Indian Navy.
Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony repeated
the claim in December.
"Rectification of the defect is likely to
take six months. Liquidated Damages (LD) clause
for delays in delivery is incorporated in the
contract," Antony was quoted as saying. "As
per contract, LD is to be ascertained and levied
within six months of ship's delivery," he
added.
India and Russia signed the original $947 million
dollar deal in 2005 for the purchase and refit
of the carrier, but delivery has already been
delayed twice, pushing up the cost of refurbishing
the ship to $2.3 billion.
The Vikramaditya was originally built as the
Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Admiral
Gorshkov. The Project 1143.4 carriers and a class
of destroyers with the same engines suffered a
history of boiler failures during their service
lives.
The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev
South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and
commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987. It
was renamed after the Soviet Union collapsed in
1991. In 1994, the Gorshkov sat in dock for a
year for repairs after a boiler room explosion.
In 1995, it briefly returned to service but was
finally withdrawn and put up for sale in 1996.
The ship has a displacement of 45,000 tonnes,
and an endurance of 25,000 km at a cruising speed
of 18 knots. It will have an air wing consisting
of 45 Russian-made MiG-29K jet fighter planes
and Kamov Ka-31 early warning radar helicopters.
Some of the MiG-29K fighters have already been
delivered to India.
(IANS/RIA
Novosti)
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