India’s Largest Floating Dry Dock: Green Light To Mazagon Dock For Nhava Shipbuilding, Launching Facility
Mazagon Dock has been permitted to construct a floating dry dock with launching facility at Nhava off the Mumbai coast
Leading warship maker Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders is set to create the country’s largest floating dry dock, for which it has received the green signal. The dry dock at Nhava, located off the coast of Mumbai, will have a launching facility too. State-owned shipbuilder’s floating dry dock project is part of its Rs 5000 crore expansion plan.
Mazagon Dock’s proposal to develop the new facility at Nhava was approved during the July session of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). The Nhava Greenfield Shipyard by MDL is envisioned to serve both defence-related projects (domestic and export) and private sector initiatives (Indian and international).
The dry dock will consist of 6 prefabricated blocks currently under construction in Gujarat’s Bharuch. These modules will subsequently be transported to Mazagon Dock’s Nhava yard and assembled into a floating dry dock.
What is the purpose of this dry dock facility?
Measuring 180 metres in length and covering 13,585 square metres, this Nhava floating dry dock would mitigate the absence of land-based infrastructure necessary for shipbuilding operations. Mazagon Dock will establish a temporary assembly facility at the northern perimeter of its Nhava yard, according to minutes from MCZMA’s July meeting.
What a floating dry dock does involves is a U-shaped floating structure which is designed to lift ships out of the sea for maintenance and repair. It can be partly submerged so as to allow entry of a ship and raised to keep the ship high and dry.
The Nhava facility, comprising a dry dock with two wet basins, workshops, storage areas, and ancillary buildings including a ship-repair centre, will span approximately 40.37 acres. It is intended to support both the construction and refurbishment of warships and commercial vessels.
Mazagon Dock Nhava facility: Any environmental impact?
The designated site is devoid of mangroves, vegetation, or any form of permanent or temporary structures. This provisional facility is scheduled to be dismantled upon the launch of the floating dry dock in March 2026.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, tabled during the meeting, stated that while launching facilities require shielding from wave action, the site at Nhava benefits from advantageous conditions.
Elephanta Island forms a headland, contributing to the protection of the area. Furthermore, tidal movement within the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) channel, which will facilitate transit between the dry dock and open sea, is notably robust, owing to the constricted passage between Elephanta Island and the Nhava-Sheva landmass.
Meanwhile, state-owned Mazagon Dock’s investment in the 40-acre Nhava facility is expected to be over Rs 1,000 crore, according to media reports. Nhava dry dock’s contract was valued at Rs 475 crore and was awarded to privately-run Shoft Shipyard Pvt Ltd.
