INS Viraat sails in to Cochin Shipyard for its last refit before retirement in early August

Just when a nationwide debate is brewing on the fate of the aircraft carrier INS Viraat after its proposed retirement from the Indian Navy next year, the carrier is set to undergo one last maintenance routine, a short refit, at the Cochin Shipyard in early August.

Arriving in Kochi by the end of this month, Viraat would be dry-docked most likely in the first week of August for a brief cycle of underwater maintenance spanning 60 days at the yard, said informed sources.

The current refit regimen comprises month-long work on the carrier at the dry-dock followed by a spell of workup — when the vessel and its crew are put through their paces to ensure optimum serviceability and war-readiness.

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