India’s Mazagon Dock, Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Bag $151M Worth Indian Navy Submarines Refit Contract

The Indian Navy has awarded a refit deal worth INR 1,100 crore (US$151 million) to the state-run warship builder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH to overhaul Shishumar Class non-nuclear diesel electric submarine.

The German shipbuilder will get as much as INR 410 crore (US$56 million) as its share of the refit of INS Shishumar, the Kiel, the company said in a statement Wednesday. 

The deal involves medium refit and life certification (MRLC) of one submarine. The work will commence in October and is expected to be completed by 2021. The upgrade will extend the operational life of the submarine by at least 10 years.

“Thyssenkrupp has always looked at a long-term strategic vision while handling projects from eminent partner countries. We view this MRLC work in the same light and are positive that programmes like this will also translate into other partnerships with Indian players for future strategic programmes,” said Oliver Burkhard, Member of the Executive Board, Thyssenkrupp AG.

ThyssenKrupp’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) shipbuilding yard in Kiel built first two of the four Shishumar class submarines, while the rest two were manufactured by means of material packages and Transfer of Technology (ToT) at Mazagon Dock. These were the first submarines ever to be built in India.

The Shishumar class is based on the renowned HDW Class 209, however, it includes a series of specialties including a larger diameter of the pressure hull, a pressure resistant bulkhead, as well as a rescue sphere.