Fincantieri has signed a contract with Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), one of the most important Indian shipyards, controlled by the Ministry of Defence and specialized in the building of naval and offshore units, to provide technical advice within the Project 17A. This project envisages the construction of 7 stealth frigates ordered this year in February by the Indian Navy to the two shipyards MDL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
This important agreement allows the group to establish a long-term cooperation with the two shipyards and to consolidate its commercial presence in the country.
The supply will affect part of the functional project of specific elements and the development of detailed engineering aimed at integrated building in the two yards; design optimization processes and modular construction; training and ongoing technical assistance for every stage of design till delivery.
The Project 17A is the follow-up of Project 17 – that is 3 multirole Shivalik class stealth frigates built at Mazagon between 2000 and 2010 - for the Indian Navy. It regards the construction of a total of 7 frigates of 149 meters in length with a displacement of 6,400 tons. With a basic and functional design developed by the Indian Navy, the ships will be built at MDL and GRSE, which will be modernized and enhanced thanks to Fincantieri’s advice in order to use the modular construction technique as well as the one known as "integrated construction". This experience will also bring about a significant return of technology and know-how for Fincantieri, with the creation of system advisors, useful for other programs in which the group is involved too.