L&Tlaunches Navy’s Floating Dock..!

L&Tlaunches Navy’s Floating Dock

Reaffirms capabilities to deliver Defence projects on time

Kattupalli, June 20,2017:

Larsen & Toubro today announced the launch of a Floating Dock (FDN-2) designed and built for the Indian Navy at the company’s greenfield shipyard at Kattupalli, near Chennai. This marks a significant achievement for L&T’s Shipbuilding arm in Design, Construction and Project Management of Defence Vessels.

The Floating Dock was formally lowered into the waters of the Bay of Bengal by Mrs. Anjali Deshpande, in the presence of her spouse Vice Admiral Deshpande,Controller Warship Production & Acquisition of the Indian Navy,Mr. J.D. Patil, Senior Executive Vice President & Whole time Director (Designate) -Defence, Larsen & Toubro,Vice Admiral B. Kannan (Retd),MD & CEO L&T Shipbuilding, and other dignitaries.

L&T was mandated by the Ministry of Defence in May 2015 to design and build the FDN-2 for an order value of Rs. 468 Crores. The Floating Dock will be delivered at Port Blair wellwithincontracted schedule, reaffirmingL&T’s capabilities to execute and deliver Defence projects on time using Indian design, indigenous technologies and construction skills.

On completion of its launch at Kattupalli, FDN-2 would be put through a series of harbour trials before delivery to the Navy. Onceoperationalised,it would enhance the technical repair infrastructure of the Navy for ships based at the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as well as for visiting Naval ships.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan, Managing Director (Designate) and President, Larsen & Toubro, said: “While winning our first mandate from the Indian Navy was satisfying, I am particularly delighted that we have also been able to execute and deliver the FDN-2 well within schedule.”

“We are pleased to have delivered on the faith reposed in us by the Indian Navy for our in-house capabilities of design and construction of Naval platforms, meeting stringent standards and specifications and at the same time achieving them with exemplary Program Management practices well-within contracted timelines,” Mr. Subrahmanyan added.

Mr. Jayant Patilsaid: “It is  an affirmation of the in-house capabilities and track record of L&T that we are launching the FDN-2 for the Indian Navy ahead of schedule today, as a sequel to having already delivered 32 interceptor boats to Indian Coast Guard. This has been made possible by dedication and commitment of the team at L&T, our relationship of trust with Indian Navy across the value chain for Naval platforms and the forward-looking policies pursued by the Government to facilitate procurement of indigenous equipment for our Armed Forces.”

“L&T has invested in building state-of-the-art facilities at Kattupalli,and we look forward to continued service to the Indian Navy in endeavors of National capability building,” Mr. Patil added.

The Floating Dock, which is the first Naval shipbuilding project for L&T, is 185m long and 40m wide, and is designed  for docking Indian Naval ships and submarines of up to 8000 T displacement with draughts of up to 7 m, during both day and night. Simultaneous docking of multiple ships, and off-center docking options are also feasible. The entire design and construction process has been progressively certified by Lloyds Register of Shipping Society and overseen by the Navy’s resident team at Kattupalli. The dock, which conforms to internationally accepted norms, incorporates a fully automated ballast control system, inducting state-of-the-art technology in its equipment.

“The main challenge faced on this project, as it would characteristically be in any first ship of a class, pertained to managing design and production activities concurrently,” elaborated Vice Admiral B.Kannan. “We have achieved a high level on this through Digital Shipbuilding technologies as well as through a focused approach of ‘getting it right first time’ duly reinforced by the rich work ethics of L&T.”

The Floating Dock has been designed as a versatile dock that can be installed either along a jetty or moored in calm waters enabling round-the-year operation. It is provided with a hauling-in system to handle a ship’s docking and undocking operations. It can also support ships berthed along its side and meet their logistics requirements.  

L&T has also been mandated by the Coast Guard to design and build seven Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). Two of these OPVs are to be launched in the second half of this financial year, on schedule.

In addition, L&T is also undertaking repairs and refits of Naval and Coast Guard ships regularly and delivered six refit ships (including the largest Logistics Tanker ship INS Jyoti) from its shipyard at Kattupalli, which now is focusing only on Defence orders.

Background:

Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services with USD 17 billion in revenue. It operates in over 30 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for over seven decades.

Share: