On 03 June 24, the formal ceremony marking the commencement of construction of the second Cadet Training Ship (Yard-18004) was held at M/s L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli. The ceremony was presided over by Rear Admiral Sandeep Mehta, Assistant Controller, Warship Production & Acquisition (ACWP&A). Rear Admiral GK Harish (Retd), Leading Shipbuilding Business, L&T and other senior officials of Indian Navy and M/s L&T were present on the occasion.
On 07 March 23, a contract was signed between Ministry of Defence and M/s L&T for indigenous design and construction of three Cadet Training Ships. These Cadet Training Ships will be used for imparting sea training to Officer Cadets after their basic training. These ships will also provide training facility to cadets from friendly foreign countries.
This is a significant milestone for the Indian Navy in the direction of indigenous shipbuilding in line with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India' initiatives of the Government of India. The Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) 2012-27 envisages the force levelisation of three Cadet Training Ships for the Indian Navy.