Eight warships can be built simultaneously, India's largest floating dry dock soon

MUMBAI: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited is set to build the country's largest floating dry dock. The dry dock is being built on Nhava Island near Mumbai. Mazagon, a government-run shipbuilder, is the country's leading warship builder. The construction is part of a Rs 5,000-crore project to secure orders for large ships.

The dock will be 180 meters long and 44 meters high on 40 acres. The construction contract for the floating dry dock, which will be built at a cost of Rs 475 crore, has been awarded to privately-owned Shoft Shipyard Private Limited. Mazagon's investment in the new floating dock is Rs 1,000 crore. This will include the construction of a jetty, ship-mooring facilities and a dredging system.

The dock, which will be built in six blocks, will be moved to the new jetty of Mazagon Dock. Officials said the dry dock cannot be built in a single phase due to its height. So far, Shoft Shipyard has completed the construction of four blocks at its yard in Bharuch, Gujarat. Shoft Shipyard said the construction of the remaining two blocks will be completed and brought to the new jetty next March.

The new floating dry dock is expected to be operational by the end of this year. The special feature of the new floating dry dock is that it can dock ships up to 12,800 docking weight. Large ships such as next-generation destroyers and repair vessels and will be handle up to eight ships simultaneously.