“We have created an ancient hull, we don’t know how it works. We have to do more construction. We have to put the masts…It should be fully ready by May [2025]. After that we will test it, because we do not know exactly how it sails. There are many things in the ship that are not common in modern sailing ships. For instance, it does not have a rudder, it has got a training ore. It has square sails, it has a fixed hull…so, we will have to learn how to sail it and see how it reacts to various conditions. The first voyage will be to Oman, tentatively towards the end of the year,” Sanyal said, excited on his favourite project moving forward.
The ancient stitched ship features a main mast, mizzen mast and bowsprit mast, with steering controlled through steering oars. The vessel is bound together with coir rope and fibre. The keel is made from ‘Matti’, Goa’s state tree, while the stem, stern and beams are crafted from teak. Jackfruit wood frames have been selected to match the ship’s natural curves. The joints are sealed with a traditional mixture of fish oil and khundrus.
This 5th century wooden ‘stitched ship’ has been modelled on a painting of a stitched ship in the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, was “put in the water” or “transferred from land to water” for the first time, said officials. The vessel, with a 15-member crew of the Indian Navy aboard, is expected to set sail on a historic voyage to Oman – retracing ancient trading routes.
The project, a part of an initiative to revive India’s rich maritime heritage, is being executed through a tripartite agreement between the Indian Navy, the Ministry of Culture and Goa-based shipbuilding company Hodi Innovations (OPC) Private Ltd.
Sanjeev Sanyal, project leader and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, said, “It is not a ‘launch’, in the sense that it is not complete. But the ship is being put in the water to test for leaks and structural integrity.”
Sanjeev Sanyal is a member of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. He has worked on several editions of the Economic Survey of the Ministry of Finance. He has authored several books, including ‘Revolutionaries’, that was recently released by Home Minister Amit Shah.
