On the occasion of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL)'s 250 years completion, a series of launching events were organised on Tuesday, May 14, commemorating an extraordinary journey, spanning over two and a half centuries.
These included inauguration of adjacent land acquired from MPA, launch of prototype of indigenous midget submarine ‘Arowana’, commissioning of Solar Electric Hybrid boat and release of MDL’s Commemorative Coin.
According to media reports, Mumbai will soon get two electric boats between Navi Mumbai to Mumbai, Elephanta Caves, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).
From a humble beginning as a small dry dock in 1774, to its incorporation in 1934, and subsequently, its stewardship under the Government of India since 1960, completion of 250 years of MDL is a milestone that marks a testament of resilience, growth and enduring legacy.
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane was the chief guest on the occasion. The Defence Secretary formally inaugurated the contiguous piece of land acquired from the Mumbai Port Authority. This facility would be developed for simultaneous construction & outfitting of New Builds, Repairs / Refits of various types of vessels. The new infrastructure will give adequate bandwidth to MDL for simultaneous execution of various projects.
MDL has successfully completed platform design and hull of the midget submarine named ‘Arowana’ which was launched by Defence Secretary. MDL has been building submarines since 1984 with foreign design. MDL has also commenced the design and development of an indigenous conventional submarine. Midget Submarine is being developed as a proof of concept. The team is parallelly working on development of design of a full-scale conventional submarine by 2028.
The Defence secretary also commissioned the Solar Electric Hybrid boat with top speed of 11 Knots designed and co-developed with indigenous technology partner. The running cost is almost 1/10th of a diesel boat and also has a very low maintenance cost.
In addition, a 24 pax Fuel Cell Electric Ferry named “SUCHI”, conceptualized by MDL & co-developed with indigenous technology partner, was also commissioned by the Defence Secretary. Its advanced technology has zero emissions, low acoustic signatures, leading to cleaner waterways and contributing to environmental conservation.
Aramane also inaugurated the Technical Seminar on “Emerging Technologies and Future of Shipbuilding”. Moreover, the Defence Secretary also released a coin, issued by RBI, crafted to honor the rich history & enriching legacy of MDL. While congratulating MDL, the Defence Secretary stated that MDL is a precious jewel in the crown of India and has contributed immensely in building capacities for naval and commercial purposes. He further added that MDL is the biggest shipyard in the country contributing most to the assets of the Indian Navy.
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