INS Sandhayak, survey vessel that can scan ocean depths for naval operations, commissioned

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New Delhi, February 3

INS Sandhayak, the first of the next-generation under-sea survey vessels, was commissioned into the Navy today. The ship can scan ocean depth up to 11,000 feet and carries the latest equipment to read undersea topography for operations of submarines.

Called survey vessel large ship, INS Sandhayak was commissioned in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

Referring to the recent incidents of piracy, the minister termed the Indian Ocean a hotspot for global trade. “The biggest threat is from pirates. Those involved in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” Rajnath said.

He praised the Navy for averting piracy attempts and assisting ships attacked by drones and missiles in the last few days, in addition to rescuing fisher folk and mariners.

Referring to the minister’s statement on piracy, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said, “Not only India but the entire world has seen the effect of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s instructions in the last four-five weeks. The Navy will not stop until the Indian Ocean becomes completely open, safe and free. We are ready.”

INS Sandhayak is the first of the four such ships being made by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata — a company owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Features

110-metre length

4,130 tonne displacement

7,500 nautical miles endurance

State-of-the-art hydrographic equipment fitted

Can go down 400 metres

• Multibeam echosounder measures depth up to 11,000 metres
• Seabed classification, mapping and underwater photography
• Underwater shipwreck investigation, pipeline and telecom cable route surveys
• Onboard autonomous underwater vehicles can operate at a depth of 1,000 metres
• Remote operated vehicles can go down 400 metres

Will survey ports, gather data

• Will be used for hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels and exclusive economic zones
• Also play key role in collecting oceanographic data