INSV Kaundinya: Navy’s engineless ship on maiden voyage reaches Muscat; tracks ancient trade route

The Indian Navy’s stitched sailing vessel INSV Kaundinya on her maiden overseas voyage, sailing from Porbandar in Gujarat reached Muscat in Oman on Wednesday.

The arrival marks a significant moment in the shared maritime heritage of India and Oman. The ship along with the crew were received by the Union minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal at Port Sultan Qaboos.

The voyage of the traditionally built stitched sail vessel highlights the deep-rooted maritime, cultural and civilizational ties between the two nations that span more than 5,000 years.

INSV Kaundinya is a non-combat sailing vessel constructed using a shipbuilding technique believed to date back to at least the 5th century CE. Unlike modern naval platforms, the wooden planks of the vessel are stitched together using coir rope made from coconut fibre and sealed with natural resins, cotton and oils to ensure seaworthiness.

The ship is powered entirely by sails and is crewed by about 15 sailors trained to operate the vessel under traditional sailing conditions.

The vessel’s design draws inspiration from depictions of ships found in the Ajanta cave paintings, descriptions in ancient Indian texts and accounts left by foreign travellers. With no surviving blueprints, the Indian Navy reconstructed the design through visual interpretation and scientific validation. Hydrodynamic testing and stability studies were conducted with the support of academic institutions, including IIT Madras, to ensure the vessel could safely undertake open ocean voyages despite its ancient design.

The voyage marks a rare operational deployment of a vessel built entirely using ancient stitched-plank technology, with no engine, no metal fastenings and no modern propulsion systems. The ship will rely solely on wind and sails, recreating the conditions under which Indian mariners once undertook long-distance oceanic voyages.