Garden Reach Ship Builders (GRSE) of Kolkata, a defence public sector undertaking, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Khulna Shipyard Limited (KSY) of Bangladesh to help the country in design and construction of warships, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The MoU was signed on May 8 this year.

“KSY, an independent commercial enterprise under the Ministry of Defence, Government of Bangladesh, and operated by the Bangladesh Navy, had earlier expressed keenness to develop its skills and know-how for design and construction of ships at its facility at Khulna and other subsidiary locations...,” Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Incidentally, Bangladesh has procured two conventional diesel-electric submarines from China.

When Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba visited Bangladesh last month, both sides explored new avenues for cooperation. The two countries also instituted the Indian Navy-Bangladesh Navy Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT), which will be an annual feature.

Of late, assistance in capacity-building and supply of military hardware have emerged as major tools of India’s defence diplomacy in the region.