US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter visited the Karwar Naval Base and the flagship of the Indian Navy, INS Vikramaditya on Monday. Accompanied by the US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, and other high-ranking US officials, Carter was briefed on the development of the Naval Base under Project Seabird. The phase II of Project Seabird is said to be the largest naval infrastructure project. Upon completion, the $3-billion project is set to provide the Indian Navy with its largest naval base on the west coast, and also the largest naval base east of the Suez Canal. The new and expanded naval complex will support several major warships and submarines and yard crafts. Located on a partially hilly terrain along the coast, the project involved several technical and environmental challenges. Carter also visited the Naval Ship Repair Yard and was shown technical capabilities for repair and maintenance of ships at Karwar, including the ship lift system, used for docking ships.