Defence Minister to inaugurate Navy’s biggest dry dock in Mumbai

Updated At : 07:24 PM Sep 24, 2019 IST

It can currently accommodate India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, September 24

Indian Navy’s biggest dry dock—with a capacity to accommodate an aircraft carrier—will be inaugurated in Mumbai by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday, according to naval officials here.

The dry dock, which has been described as state-of-the-art by the Indian Navy, took nearly a decade to complete.

“Construction of the dry dock was a challenge since it is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides,” according to an official from the Hindustan Construction Company, which built the facility for the Indian Navy.

The dock floor made of 1.5-metre thick reinforced concrete juts 300-metres into the sea. During construction a coffer dam was built to keep the sea water out.

It took 8000-metric tonnes of steel and five-lakh-Mt of concrete to build the facility at a cost of Rs 1000 crore, according to the naval officials.The dry dock measures 281 metres long, 45 metres wide and almost 17 metres deep. It can currently accommodate India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction INS Vikrant which is being built indigenously.

Alternatively, the dry dock can service two smaller warships in place of an aircraft carrier, according to officials here.

Dry docks are mainly used for the repair and maintenance of ships.

After a ship sails into the dry dock, the water inside it is pumped out allowing the vessel to rest on dry land. The dry dock has eight pumps which can be used to evacuate water from the dry dock in 2.5 hours, according to officials here.

Once filled up, the dry dock has a capacity to hold water equivalent to 80 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Defence Minister to inaugurate Navy’s biggest dry dock in Mumbai

Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium

Live Matches