South Korea to help revive HSL
HSL is the first ISO-9001 ship building company in the country
By : s.n.v. sudhir
Update: 2015-05-22 06:23 GMT
Visakhapatnam: In a development that may brighten the chances of Vizag-based ailing Hindustan Shipyard Ltd to bag Indian Navy’s prestigious project, - P-75 (I) to build submarines worth Rs 60,000 crore, South Korean major Hyundai Heavy Industries has extended its expertise to HSL in building warships. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had visited Hydundai’s shipyard in South Korea and sought its collaboration to build warships at HSL as part of Make in India.
A team from the Korean giant will visit HSL to see the facilities here and work out other modalities. HSL has been financially sick and looking for orders from the MoD while other defence controlled yards have enough work orders. HSL has already signed a MoU with HHI in January this year for technical collaboration to build submarines. A team from HSL, led by its chairman and managing director Rear Admiral (retd.), N.K. Mishra, visited South Korea to sign the MoU. A team from HHI had also visited Vizag’s shipyard to assess the facilities in Vizag.
However, the latest development has come as a shot in the arm as the PM himself visited HHI’s shipyard during his recent South Korea visit and discussed with the officials there on extending cooperation in building warships at HSL.
“I look at it as light at the end of the tunnel. All our efforts are bearing fruit now. The PM had endorsed our efforts. While giving a fillip to the Make in India programme, it will also revive the yard. The HHI team had already visited the shipyard earlier and is very much impressed with the facilities available here. The team is again expected to visit HSL shortly,” Mr Mishra told Deccan Chronicle.