Indian Navy aircraft carrier's sea trials postponed

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Sea trials of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, which is being overhauled for the Indian navy in Russia, have been postponed until beginning of June, the Sevmash shipyard said Wednesday.

The vessel was originally scheduled to sail for trials in the White Sea and the Barents Sea May 25. Its refurbishing is being carried out at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia.

"The start of the sea trials has been moved to the beginning of June," said a Sevmash spokesperson.

The purchase of the Soviet-built Admiral Gorshkov was agreed in 2005 but delivery to India has been long delayed.

The cost of refurbishing the aircraft carrier, to be renamed INS Vikramaditya, has since gone up from $947 million to over $2 billion.

The delay could have been caused by poor weather forecast in the trials area next week, the official added.

The Admiral Gorshkov's delivery to the Indian navy is expected in December 2012.