In her remarks Monday, US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin said the agreement was a direct outcome of the 2022 US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, which spoke about the need to exploit the capabilities of Indian shipyards.

Calling MSRA yet another milestone in the “ever-expanding” US-India partnership, Ravin said: “This agreement will serve to strengthen our two nations’ strategic partnership and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The agreement is being seen as a major boost for India, with sources in the security establishment telling ThePrint that it demonstrates the US commitment to utilizing India’s repair facilities on a regular basis.

“This agreement marks a global recognition of our unmatched capabilities and facilities to undertake quality ship repairs and refits. We are happy to be of service to the US Navy and the Military Sealift Command,” A.T. Ramchandani, executive vice-president & head of L&T Defence, said in a statement.

The arrangement seeks to benefit the US by helping it fast-track its contracting processes for repair work, Ravin said in a statement, adding that for India, it helps advance its indigenous production and logistics goals.

As part of the agreement, the USNS Salvor — a ship that conducts salvage, diving, towing, offshore firefighting, heavy-lift operations, and theatre security cooperation missions — arrived Sunday at the shipyard for repairs.