News: Under the Project Seabird of the Indian Navy, new residential accommodation for Senior Sailors and Defence Civilians of the Indian Navy has been inaugurated by Chief of the Naval Staff.
About Project Seabird of Indian Navy
- Project Seabird is a strategic naval infrastructure project of the Indian Navy.
- Location: Karwar, Karnataka, on the western coast of India.
- Aim: To establish a state-of-the-art naval base to support India’s maritime security and operational readiness.
- It is the largest naval infrastructure project for India.
- Upon completion, it will be the largest naval base on the west coast and also the largest naval base east of the Suez Canal.
- The project conforms to extant norms of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF) and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
- The project aligns with the concept of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, sourcing over 90% of materials and equipment domestically.
- Phases of Development: It has been developed in two phases:
- Phase I focused on creation of berthing, docking, and basic logistic facilities for naval ships.
- Phase IIA (Ongoing) focuses on expanding base capacity to accommodate a large fleet of ships, submarines, and aircraft.
- Features:
- The base will have a specialized dockyard for repair and maintenance of ships and submarines.
- A Naval Air Station will also be built, with multiple runways, hangars, housing areas, and ordnance handling zones.
- There will also be housing and residential complexes built at different locations for naval personnel and their families.
- It will accommodate about 10,000 naval and civilian personnel with families.
- Strategic Importance
- Strengthens India’s maritime security posture in the Arabian Sea.
- Provides strategic depth to the Western Naval Command.
- Reduces congestion at Mumbai naval dockyard and enhances fleet dispersal and survivability.
