The company also plans to expand into shipbuilding and looking for acquiring or tying up with tactical shipyards in the west coast where they have large facilities

VISAKHAPATNAM: Crown group, a major player in defence service sector, has plans to expand its operations in Visakhapatnam. The head of the marine division of Crown, Commodore Rakesh Anand said on Wednesday that they were growing very fast in the city after they acquired a workshop. Now, the group is looking at meeting the needs of the Navy by locating an MRO (maintenance, refit and operational) facility in Visakhapatnam.

The company also plans to expand into shipbuilding and looking for acquiring or tying up with tactical shipyards in the west coast where they have large facilities. On the east coast, Visakhapatnam is the key area and we may consider setting up a shipyard in Vizag or south of the city, Anand said. He said they are undertaking a challenging task of repair, servicing and maintenance work for INS Jalashwa, aircraft carrier Vikramaditya.

INS Jalshwa was ready for PFR, he said. He said the marine division is also working towards establishing the capability for manufacturing propulsion shafting and Magazine Fire Fighting System (MFFS) for warships and submarines in collaboration with the foreign OEMs. The Crown group is a technology provider and a strategic partner to the Indian defence forces.