Keel laying ceremony for a stitched ship to be held in Goa on September 12

The Union minister of state for culture and external affairs will lay the keel in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar here, he said.Indias rich maritime tradition, dating back several millennia, is set to come alive with the revival of an ancient maritime marvel the stitched ship, a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said.

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi will lay the keel for a ''stitched ship'', reminiscent of vessels that sailed on India's ancient maritime trade routes, in Goa on Tuesday, a senior official said on Monday. The Union minister of state for culture and external affairs will lay the keel in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar here, he said.

India's rich maritime tradition, dating back several millennia, is set to come alive with the revival of an ancient maritime marvel — the stitched ship, a spokesperson of the Indian Navy said. “In a momentous initiative by the Government of India, the Indian Navy, Ministry of Culture, and M/s Hodi Innovations, Goa, are collaborating to reconstruct an ancient stitched ship, reminiscent of the ships that once sailed the oceans on India's ancient maritime trade routes,” the official said.

Once the ship is ready, the Indian Navy will undertake a unique voyage along the traditional maritime trade routes using ancient navigation techniques, he said. Union Minister Lekhi will preside as the chief guest of the ceremony and Admiral R Hari Kumar, CNS and Sanjeev Sanyal, Economic Advisor to PMO will be present on the occasion, he said Extensive research and consultation with a wide spectrum of experts have been instrumental in conceptualising the ambitious stitched ship project, he said.

“The Indian Navy is overseeing the ship's design and construction and would be sailing the ship along ancient maritime trade routes. The Ministry of Culture has fully funded this project, while the Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of External Affairs will be supporting the project to ensure seamless execution of the international voyage,” the official said.

The project was approved by the National Implementation Committee, chaired by the Union home minister as a commemoration project on December 14, 2022. The Directorate of Naval Architecture of the Indian Navy engaged in several rounds of discussions with the Ministry of Culture, culminating in the signing of a tripartite agreement with M/s Hodi Innovations on July 18, for the construction of the ancient stitched ship.

The stitching work will be undertaken by a team of traditional shipwrights, led by Babu Sankaran, who is an expert in stitched ship construction, the official said. Using this age-old technique, the wooden planks will be shaped using the traditional steaming method to conform to the shape of the hull. Each plank will then be stitched to another using cords/ropes, sealed with a combination of coconut fibre, resin, and fish oil — akin to the ancient Indian shipbuilding practice, he added.