The IN’s first indigenously designed and built floating dock, entered service on 25 May

The Indian Navy (IN) has commissioned its first indigenously designed and built floating dock to repair and service its major platforms.

Referred to as Floating Dock Navy-2 (FDN-2), the 185 m-long and 40 m-wide platform was inducted into the service on 25 May in a ceremony held at Port Blair, the capital of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands and headquarters of the IN-headed tri-service command.

The platform is equipped with “state-of-art automated systems with all modern facilities to ensure quality and swift repairs of warships”, said the IN in a 27 May statement.

FDN-2 , which is now the second floating dock in service with the IN, has the capability to lift ships and submarines of up to 8,000 tons displacement, which includes almost the entire range of the IN’s combat assets.

“The floating dock is designed for berthing alongside a jetty, or moored in calm waters, enabling planned and emergency docking operations for ships,” stated the IN, adding that FDN-2 will be based alongside FDN-1 at Port Blair and is expected to “substantially enhance” the repair and refit facility for IN warships deployed in the archipelago.

FDN-2 was launched in June 2017 at the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) shipyard at Kattupalli near Chennai. It has high-capacity ballast pumps along with an advanced automated ballast control system, and is provided with a hauling-in system to handle a ship's docking and undocking operations, according to L&T.