The Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Friday said that New Delhi hasn't signed a reciprocal agreement with Washington, where Indian ships will be allowed to dock and undergo repairs in American shipyards.
"There is no reciprocal agreement in existence or in negotiation to allow the repairs of Indian Ships in American Shipyards," the ministry said in a statement.
However, it underlined that a Master Shipyard Repair Agreement (MSRA) was inked between India's private sector engineering and defense major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and the US, under which US Navy vessels can undergo voyage repairs at the company's shipyard at the Kattupalli port in Chennai, the state capital city of Tamil Nadu in southern India.
Also, the ministry noted that such an agreement was in the works for the state-run Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).
"MSRA qualifies a shipyard to compete for carrying out ship repair projects for US Navy. The MSRA includes clauses on security, payments, liabilities etc. The agreement is reviewed every five years, or as required," the statement elaborated.
It emphasized that carrying out repairs of American Navy ships will be commercially beneficial for Indian shipbuilders.
The MoD also underscored concerns regarding American access to India's sensitive ports like the MDL and GSL, where a majority of India's warships are built.
New Delhi said that the US Navy ships will remain at an Indian port for repair purposes only and will leave the territorial waters of the country once the process was completed.