Vikramaditya preparing to leave harbour for Sea Trials in the White Sea (Off Russia)
As per Viktor Komardin, Deputy General Director of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, India is unlikely to bill Russia for the delay in the delivery of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya caused by engine problems last year. Already years behind its originally scheduled delivery in 2008, the Vikramaditya was to have been handed over on December 04, 2012. However, sea trials in September revealed that the ship’s boilers were not fully functional.
“In theory, India has the right to impose a fine but we believe that we will find a mutually beneficial solution to this problem in a friendly atmosphere. Actually, we already have, but for now, we’re saying that we will,” Komardin said. India and Russia signed the original $947million deal in 2004 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. New Delhi has been impatient over the Vikramaditya’s tortuous refit and demanded compensation from the Russians at a meeting in October 2012 for the latest delay in delivery. The Russians rejected that claim, saying the parts that failed had been procured by the Indian Navy.
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