MUMBAI: To strengthen Indian Navy, more greenfield projects were needed to enhance production of vessels, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said.

"The Ministry of Shipping is setting up one ship building yard on each of the two coasts (east and west). Somebody must set up more greenfield projects for ship building as operational yards as the Mazgaon Docks Limited have limitations (of capacity)," Admiral Mehta said, after the conclusion of a two-day Naval Commanders Conference here.

We will also see more of private partnerships in the area, he said, adding that construction major L&T has expressed interest in putting up such a project and have plans to place orders with the company in the near future.

Ideally, the country needs two operational aircraft carriers and other ships. Efforts are on to have three aircraft carriers in the fleet while 34 ships and six submarines are already being constructed to take the total number of ships to 160, he added.

He further said that right now the country does not have an operational aircraft carrier and the situation could have been averted, had aircraft carrier 'Vikramaditya' arrived on time. The ship is expected from Russia in three years' time.

The indigenous carrier building project at Cochin is on as per the schedule and the ship is expected in 2012.

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