``The Chief of Naval Staff and the Government of India will be inviting navies from 20 countries to participate,'' said Vice Admiral Madhvendra Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.

Addressing the media at the annual navy week press conference onboard the missile destroyer INS Mysore, the C-in-C said that it was customary to have a fleet review by the President at least once during his tenure. However, since this coincided with a long-awaited review of the navy by the President, the start of the new millenium and the golden jubilee of the republic, it was being turned into an international fleet review.

Ships of navies from countries as far as South America and East Asia are expected to assemble in thecity on Feb 15 to participate in the review at the naval anchorage off the Mumbai coast. The fleet will be reviewed by the President of India who will also take the salute, `` Vice Admiral Singh said.

An international naval seminar on `building bridges of friendship' will be held on Feb 15 while a ceremonial flypast of aircraft will take place on Feb 17. A city parade will end the review on Feb 18 where naval personnel from participating countries will march through Marine Drive.

The C-in-C said that the navy's aircraft carrier INS Viraat which was at Kochi for a refit and life-extension programme would join the fleet for the review. Labour unrest at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd had put the ship's refit back by over a month, he said. The 40-year-old Viraat would last for another decade, until it was replaced by the Air Defence Ship (ADS) a 32,000 tonne aircraft carrier which will take six to seven years to complete.

The purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Gorshkov was one of the options beingconsidered to replace the Vikrant, he said, adding that it depended on whether the country `got a good deal' for it. Referring to the acquisition of the submarine-launched 3M-5431 Novator `Klub' 300-km range cruise missile from Russia next year, he said: ``A submarine-launched missile is a very significant addition to our punch.'' He added that there were few navies of the world that did not have this capability.