Indian Navy's Ex INS Guldar to become India's first underwater museum and artificial reef

Pic/Defence PRO Mumbai

In a historic step by the Government of India, the Indian Navy handed over Ex INS Guldar, a Landing Ship Tank (Medium), to Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Limited (MTDC) on 21 February 2025 to be converted into an underwater museum and artificial reef. This is the first initiative in India to use a decommissioned ship of the Indian Navy.

The ship was handed over to MTDC at Karwar on an ‘as is, where is' basis. MTDC has taken the ship under their charge to convert it into an underwater museum and artificial reef. The conversion will be undertaken by MTDC and will involve complete cleaning of the ship to remove any potential pollutants/ hazardous materials, ensuring environmental clearances as per guidelines for marine conservation, obtaining various NOCs, and scuttling the ship at Sindhudurg, ensuring all safety precautions.

Ex INS Guldar (A Polnocny Class Landing Ship) was built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 30 December 1985. The ship was part of the Eastern Naval Command from 1985 to 1995 before being repositioned at Andaman and Nicobar Command, where she served till her decommissioning on 12 January 2024. The ship rendered 39 years of yeomen service to the nation, during which she sailed for over 3,900 days and successfully conducted over 490 beaching operations to land Army troops ashore. The ship participated in various operations beyond her primary landing ship role, including Op Aman, Op Azad, Op Pawan and Op Tasha.

The project to convert the ship into an underwater museum and artificial reef holds significant potential for showcasing marine conservation, creating livelihood opportunities for coastal communities and elevating India's stature in underwater tourism. Moreover, beyond the environmental benefits, scuttling decommissioned ships as artificial reefs also preserves the history of the vessels for centuries to come. Each ship carries the stories of its service and the brave sailors who served on them. By transforming a ship into an underwater museum and artificial reef, its historical legacy is immortalised, allowing future generations to learn about and appreciate its significance in India's naval heritage.

From an environmental perspective, it is recognised that sunken wrecks can play a crucial role in enhancing the local ecosystem. These underwater structures provide shelter for a diverse range of organisms, rapidly establishing thriving marine ecosystems that can be preserved for extended periods.

This initiative will also provide the Indian Navy with opportunities for diving training at the scuttled ship site, further enhancing collaboration between the Indian Navy and the MTDC.