India opens giant naval base in Arabian Sea

NEW DELHI, Wednesday (AFP) Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee opened the first phase of India's giant western naval base in Karwar, Karnataka state, saying it would protect the country's Arabian Sea maritime routes.

The Karwar base is being built in the southern state as part of India's ambitious 350-billion-dollar (8.13-billion-dollar) "Project Seabird", which will include the naval base and an air force station when it is completed in the next five years. It will also have a naval armament depot and missile silos. The Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov, which will be refurbished and handed over to the Indian navy by 2008, will berth in Karwar, officials said.

"With the commissioning of this naval base in Karwar, the Indian Navy will fulfill the responsibility of defending the country, its sea lanes and safeguarding the country's exclusive economic zone," Mukherjee said in inaugurating the base. India's exclusive economic zone consists of all marine, mineral, energy and oil resources that fall within 200 nautical miles of its territorial waters from the coastline.

According to defence experts, the Karwar naval base will play a major role in securing the seas not only for India but for countries like Japan which rely heavily on shipping for imports and exports through maritime routes in the Arabian Sea.