Top 10 Important Dockyards in India

March 7, 2024

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Ships have been serving as a means of transportation for centuries now. Ships were/are used for the transport of goods, travel and warfare. Now, in the modern times, ships serve modern functions such as transporting aircrafts, war equipment and leisure travel (cruises).

A dockyard is a place where ships are constructed and serviced. There are over 700 such dockyards, also referred to as shipyards, in our country. In this article, we will learn about some important dockyards in India and their functions. In comparison to shipyards, dockyards may be primarily used for repairing ships.

This topic is important for your preparation of the General Awareness section assessed in several exams like FCI AGM, NABARD Grade A, NABARD Grade B, IBPS RRB PO, RBI Grade and RRB NTPC among others.

History of Dockyards in India

The site of Lothal, (in present day Gujarat) is said to be the first dockyard in India. While this fact is debated by historians and archaeologists, by extension, it would also imply that Lothal Dockyard was the first dockyard to have ever been constructed. Other than Lothal, the Bombay (now Naval) Dockyard is one of India’s oldest dockyards. It is also a dry dock, used for the repair and maintenance of ships and boats.

The British East India Company established their first shipyard in Bombay in 1735.

Functions of Dockyards

As aforementioned, ships are built and repaired in dockyards.
Military vessels, cruise-liners and cargo vessels are also built-in shipyards.
The process of ship-building itself involves designing, planning, procurement of raw materials, engineering and production and quality and safety standard assessments.

Top 10 Important Dockyards in India

	Name	City	State	Coast
1	Cochin Shipyard Limited	Cochin/Kochi	Kerala	West
2	Mazgaon Dock Limited	Mumbai	Maharashtra	West
3	Hindustan Shipyard Limited	Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh	East
4	Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers,	Kolkata	West Bengal	East
5	Goa Shipyard Limited	Goa	Goa	West
6	Naval Dockyard	Mumbai	Maharashtra	West
7	Naval Dockyard	Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh	East
8	L&T Shipbuilding Limited,	Hazira	Gujarat	West
9	ABG Shipyard Limited	Mumbai	Maharashtra	West
10	Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited (R-Naval) or Pipavav Shipyard	Pipavav	Gujarat	West

Dockyard Trivia

Cochin Shipyard is the biggest shipyard in India.
In terms of revenue, the largest revenue generated is ₹1,658.79 crores by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.
INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous Aircraft Carrier, is being built at Kochi by Cochin Shipyard and is expected to be inducted into the Indian Navy in 2022.
The Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea is the largest dockyard in the world.
The Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland by Harland & Wolff. Unfortunately, it sank in its maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg.
The dominant site at Lothal, (in present-day Gujarat) was identified as being a massive dockyard. Archaeologists believe it is the oldest dockyard in the world.
The Seawise Giant is the biggest ship ever made in history. It was built by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Japan.
INS Vikramaditya is India’s largest aircraft carrier and warship.
The Indian Navy is in the process of building a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier. Presently, INS Vikramditya is the only aircraft carrier in the Indian Navy.
INS Viraat, another aircraft carrier was purchased from the UK and commissioned in 1987 and decommissioned in 2013. It had earlier served in the Royal Navy as HMS Hercules and participated in the Falklands War.

Privatization of Cochin Dockyard

There has been talk of privatizing the Cochin Dockyard for a few years now. However, no concrete progress has been made on the issue and neither is it likely to be made. The Government of India plans to make it India’s biggest dry dock to give impetus to the ‘Make in India’ project.

Food for Thought

Have ships become obsolete with new technology and faster transport facilities?

If you are interested in ships or the ship-building industry, you will find this report on the Statistics of India’s Ship Building and Ship Repairing Industry quite interesting. Such reports are published by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways every year.

If you want to learn more about such interesting topics or other current/general awareness news, you can count on ixamBee’s BeePedia to save the day! You can find news and updates on a variety of topics ranging from politics to sports, science and technology to entertainment. These will keep you up-to-date on all matters of Current Affairs and strengthen your overall preparation.