Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd is constructing country’s largest floating dry dock at Nhava Island near Mumbai. The initiative is part of a Rs 5,000 crore expansion plan to help undertake large size ship orders. The Rs 475 crore contract to construct the floating dry dock, measuring 180 meters in length, 44 meters in width, and 19.5 meters in height, has been awarded to private firm Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd. Mazagon Dock reportedly plans to invest over Rs 1,000 crore in the 40-acre Nhava facility.
The investment covers jetty development, facility for holding the vessel, dredging and other associated works. The floating dry dock is being built in six blocks which will be towed to the Nhava jetty of Mazagon Dock for assembling and launching. The dry dock is so high it cannot be built as a single piece. Four of the six blocks have been completed at Shoft Shipyard’s Bharuch facility in Gujarat, while the remaining two are under construction. These blocks are expected to reach the Nhava jetty by March.
The Nhava facility is expected to become operational by year-end, with the capacity to dock vessels weighing up to 12,800 tons. It will support the construction of large ships, including next-generation destroyers and repair vessels, and can handle up to eight ships simultaneously. In a separate development, Mazagon Dock plans to build a combined shipbuilding and repair facility on a 15-acre plot adjacent to its current yard, leased from the Mumbai Port Authority. The company intends to construct a graving dry dock measuring approximately 180 meters in length and 60 meters in width, along with ancillary facilities capable of supporting both shipbuilding and repairs. Currently, its existing yard accommodates 11 submarines and 10 warships simultaneously.
