Larsen & Toubro on Tuesday said it has signed the Master Shipyard Repair Agreement with the US Navy to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the defence sector. L&T's Kattupalli Shipyard, near Chennai, a major node in the Southern Defence Corridor, has been undertaking voyage repairs of the Military Sealift Command vessels, the firm said in a statement.

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After an elaborate assessment by the US Navy and the Military Sealift Command, the shipyard qualified for the Master Shipyard Repair Agreement (MSRA). This is equivalent to undertaking warship refits, for which the shipyard has already been qualified by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, it said. L&T has signed the MSRA with the US Navy, the statement added.

"This MSRA is yet another milestone in our ever-expanding US-India partnership. This historic agreement is a direct outcome of the 2022 US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and demonstrates US commitment to utilise repair facilities on a regular basis at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli. This agreement will serve to strengthen our two nations' strategic partnership and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific," US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin was quoted as saying in the statement.

The agreement marks yet another step in the growing relationship between the biggest and the oldest democracies of the world, further strengthening the partnership between them in the defence sector, the statement said.

"This agreement marks a global recognition of our unmatched capabilities and facilities to undertake quality ship repairs and refits...L&T will dedicate all its dynamism, innovation, and Shipbuilding 4.0 techniques to meet the quality and delivery requirements of the US side," A T Ramchandani, Executive Vice President and head of L&T Defence, said.

USNS Salvor ship was received at Kattupalli Shipyard for voyage repairs. This is the third US ship coming to the shipyard for voyage repairs. Earlier, voyage repairs of Marine Sealift Command (MSC) Fleet Support Ships -- USNS Charles Drew and USNS Matthew Perry -- were undertaken and completed on time by the company, it added.

L&T's Kattupalli Shipyard is one of the modern shipbuilding and ship repair facilities in this part of the world, the statement said.

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(Edited by : Keshav Singh Chundawat)