Giridhar Aramane, Defence Secretary Visits MDL

New Delhi: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) today celebrates the completion of 250 years, commemorating an extraordinary journey, spanning over two and a half centuries. 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."

To mark this occasion of immense significance MDL today organized a series of events including inauguration of adjacent land acquired from MPA, launch of prototype of indigenous midget submarine ‘Arowana’, commissioning of Solar Electric Hybrid boat, release of MDL’s Commemorative Coin marks the 250 years and conducting a daylong technical seminar. 

Shri Giridhar Aramane, IAS, Defence Secretary was the chief guest on the occasion. Def Sec 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 today. 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 parallely working on development of design of full scale conventional submarine by 2028.

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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.

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Shri Aramane also inaugurated the Technical Seminar on “Emerging Technologies and Future of Shipbuilding”. To commemorate 250 years of MDL’s existence, Def Sec also released a coin, issued by RBI, crafted to honor the rich history & enriching legacy of MDL. While congratulating MDL in his address 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. 

The events not only symbolize our journey but also serve as a testament to our commitment to excellence in maritime endeavours.

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