INS SANDHAYAK

Why in News?                                                                                                        

INS Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ship, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam on February 03, 2024.

What is INS Sandhayak?

• The primary role of the ship is to carry out full scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels/routes, coastal areas and deep seas, towards enabling safe marine navigation.
• In its secondary role, the ship will be capable of undertaking a range of naval operations.
• The commissioning ceremony marked the formal induction of the first of the four ships of the SVL Project under construction at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• The project has been steered by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy.
• The keel was laid on March 12, 2019 and the ship was launched on December 05, 2021.
• The ship has a displacement of 3,400 tons and an overall length of 110 meters with a beam of 16m.
• INS Sandhayak is equipped with state-of-the-art hydrographic equipment including Deep & Shallow Water MultiBeam Echo-Sounders, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, Side scan sonars, Data Acquisition and Processing System, satellite-based positioning systems and terrestrial survey equipment.
• The ship is propelled by two Diesel Engines and is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 18 knots. It has an indigenous content of over 80% by cost and is a tribute to the collaborative efforts between the Indian Navy and Industry, including MSMEs.
• Its induction underscores the growing maritime interests and capabilities of the nation.
• ‘Sandhayak’ means the one who carries out a special search.
• The crest depicts the sixteen points of a mariner’s compass, enclosing a ‘divider’ and an ‘anchor’ riding the sea, symbolising the charting of oceans, which is the basic role of the survey ship.
• The commissioning is an affirmation of India’s expertise in warship designing and construction.