Marine equipment and spare parts supplier Maritronics India on Monday announced its foray into specialised equipment manufacturing for the defence sector. The company, in a statement, said it is in the process of setting up its own manufacturing facility in Chennai, which is expected to start production in the next one year.

This is a significant step towards reducing dependency on imports in the defence sector, which often get impacted owing to geopolitical uncertainties, it said.

To strengthen its manufacturing capabilities, the company has signed an initial pact with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) to jointly develop and market navigation, communication, and automation equipment for marine vessels for the domestic defence market.

"We are confident that the integrated communication and navigation systems developed by us will become a significant asset for the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard," Maritronics India Pvt Ltd Director Venkatesan N said.

The systems are expected to be manufactured locally in about a year's time, he added.

The company said it will be the first private company in the country to manufacture marine type-approved navigation and communication equipment like fibre optic gyroscope and integrated bridge system, which includes radars, ECDIS (Electronic Chart Displays and Information System) and conning displays for advanced navigation systems.