- A ship breaking company IB Commercial Private Ltd has bought India’s naval ship INS Vikrant for Rs 63.2 crore for scrapping at Darukhana ship-breaking yard.
- The ship was active in 1971 war with Pakistan. It was removed from service in 1997
- Indian Navy bought the ship, previously christened as HMS Hercules, from UK in 1957 and it was in operation from 1961 to 1997
- Another Indian Naval ship bearing same name INS Vikrant , built in India was inducted in 2013
- Purchase agreement entails ship breaking firm should take the ship out of harbour within a month.
- Vikrant’s conversion into a museum has been considered by India’s defence ministry as uneconomical as its maintenance would have cost Rs 500 cr
- Certain reports say Vikrant was unfit to be turned into a museum due to its damaged fire-fighting equipment on board and damaged structure due to rust
- Bombay High Court sets aside a December 2013 PIL seeking preservation of the ship following which the ministry began the process for auctioning the ship.
Exams Perspective:
- INS Vikrant
- 1971 war with Pakistan
- PIL