Rajnath Singh to inaugurate state-of-the-art dry dock in Mumbai, here is all you need to know about India's first such facility

After flying the LCA Tejas on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is all set to launch projects for the navy, and on 28 September, he will inaugurate and commission the country’s first state-of-the-art dry dock in Mumbai, which is capable of housing even INS Vikramaditya — the biggest ship the country has. In a press conference, Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar said that Singh will be in Mumbai to spend a day with the Indian Navy. He is also set to launch three landmark naval projects, including the commissioning of second Scorpene submarine INS Khanderi, and the launch of first P-17A warship Nilgiri, said the vice admiral. [caption id=“attachment_7341711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rajnath Singh. ANI[/caption] He said with the commissioning of Khanderi and launch of Nilgriri, the combat potential of Navy will “go up many fold”. “The three events lined up for 28 September are in line with our Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),” Kumar told reporters. “On 28 September evening and forenoon of 29 September, he (Rajnath) will witness all naval actions including missile firing and various other exercises at sea before disembarking and returning to Delhi,” the vice chief of navy said. A dry dock is essentially a narrow basin that can be flooded to allow a ship to be floated in, then drained to allow that ship to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft. This carrier dock of the navy, is equipped with robotic machinery, can overhaul ships in quick succession. With a length of 281 metres, a width of 45 metres and depth of close to 17 metres — almost equivalent to a five-storey building— the dry dock is nothing short of a construction marvel, said a TOI report. Vice Admiral Kumar also informed the media that after the launch of these projects, the defence minister, along with his wife, before flying back to the national capital, will spend a day at sea in INS Vikramaditya. With inputs from PTI.