India, on Wednesday, crossed a major milestone in defence shipbuilding when the maiden indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was undocked on completion of structural work at the Cochin Shipyard.
The carrier is slated for induction in end-2018.
Senior officials and workers of the public sector yard witnessed the undocking, done around 2 pm.
Problems with the dock gate and siltation at the gate mouth had forced the yard to postpone the undocking a few times earlier.
This time around, flooding of the dock and ballasting of the ship had begun on Monday itself. Once the vessel was floated over 8 metres of water pumped into the dock, the floodgate was overturned, after which Vikrant was pulled out by tugs.
Vikrant, weighing about 22,000 tonnes now, will continue to be outfitted for over a year and a half now before the basin and sea trials begin ahead of delivery.
"Almost 90 per cent of works below the fourth deck, all underwater works, is over. Major equipment have gone in. Cabling, piping, electrical works, heat and ventilation works will take place now. Delivery of systems and components for the aviation complex designed by the Russian Nevoske design bureau is expected anytime now," said an official.
The undocking is part of the second phase of work on the carrier, which is expected to be complete by 2017, when the basin trials will get under way.
