Muscat [Oman], January 14 (ANI): Indian Navy Commodore Amit Srivastava described the voyage as a historic moment and praised the Navy’s crew for handling all challenges after the indigenously built sailing vessel INSV Kaundinya completed its 18-day journey from Gujarat’s Porbandar to Muscat on Wednesday.
Speaking to ANI at Port Sultan Qaboos, Srivastava said the construction of the vessel involved architects and officers from the Indian Navy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and other agencies. He said the ship was tested by Indian Navy teams and called its successful journey from Porbandar to Muscat a historic achievement.
“It is a historic moment when the ship has completed its journey from Porbandar to Muscat. The Indian Navy’s trained crew can face any challenges. The ship, after undergoing necessary checks and repairs, will start its return journey to India,” he said.
Businessmen Kiran Ashar and Anil Khimji, who were present to witness the arrival of the vessel, expressed excitement and joy as INSV Kaundinya completed its historic voyage.
“We are so happy. We had also gone to Porbandar for the flagging-off ceremony. It was an emotional moment. Everyone is happy that the ship has reached Oman,” Ashar told ANI.
Khimji said they were eagerly waiting for the ship to dock and described the moment as very exciting.
The Indian Navy’s indigenously built traditional stitched sailing vessel successfully completed its 18-day voyage and reached Muscat on Wednesday. The ship had departed from Porbandar on December 29, 2025.
The expedition was skippered by Commander Vikas Sheoran, while Commander Y Hemant Kumar, who has been associated with the project since its conceptualization, served as the officer in charge. The crew comprised four officers and 13 naval sailors.
Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal, who was part of the crew, shared daily updates about the ship on social media during the voyage.
INSV Kaundinya is a stitched sail ship based on a fifth-century CE vessel depicted in the paintings of the Ajanta Caves. The project was initiated through a tripartite agreement signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy, and M/s Hodi Innovations, with funding from the Ministry of Culture.
Following the keel laying in September 2023, the vessel was constructed using traditional stitching methods by a team of skilled artisans from Kerala, led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran. Over several months, wooden planks were stitched on the hull using coir rope, coconut fiber, and natural resin. The ship was launched in February 2025 at Goa.
The Indian Navy played a central role in overseeing the design, technical validation, and construction process. With no surviving blueprints of such vessels, the design was inferred from iconographic sources.
The Navy collaborated with the shipbuilder to recreate the hull form and traditional rigging, ensuring validation through hydrodynamic model testing at the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, along with internal technical assessments.
The vessel incorporates several culturally significant features, including sails displaying motifs of the Gandabherunda and the Sun, a sculpted Simha Yali on the bow, and a symbolic Harappan-style stone anchor on the deck. Named after Kaundinya, the legendary Indian mariner who sailed across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, the ship stands as a symbol of India’s long-standing traditions of maritime exploration, trade, and cultural exchange. (ANI)
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