INSV Kaundinya returns to Mumbai after maiden overseas voyage to Oman
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth flagged in INSV Kaundinya, the Navy's traditionally built stitched sailing vessel, at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, on 2 March 2026 after her maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman.
Summary
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth flagged in INSV Kaundinya at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, on 2 March 2026, after the stitched sailing vessel completed her maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman, across the Arabian Sea. INSV Kaundinya is a 20-metre square-sailed vessel built with ancient Indian techniques: wooden planks are stitched together with coir rope and sealed with natural resins, without modern structural reinforcement. Her design is inspired by a 5th-century CE depiction in the Ajanta Caves, and she is named after the legendary mariner Kaundinya. The vessel was inducted into the Navy in May 2025. She was welcomed with a parade of sails and a water-arc salute, in the presence of Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Oman's Consul General in Mumbai.
Key facts
- Date and place
- 2 March 2026, Naval Dockyard, Mumbai
- Voyage
- Maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman
- Vessel
- 20-metre stitched sailing vessel; planks stitched with coir rope
- Inspiration
- 5th-century CE depiction in the Ajanta Caves
- Inducted
- May 2025
- Flagged in by
- MoS Defence Sanjay Seth
Practice MCQs 3 questions
To which city did INSV Kaundinya make her maiden overseas voyage, completed with her flag-in at Mumbai on 2 March 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Muscat
INSV Kaundinya returned after her maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman.
The design of INSV Kaundinya is inspired by a 5th-century CE depiction found at which site?
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Correct answer: A — Ajanta Caves
The Navy says INSV Kaundinya is inspired by a 5th-century CE depiction from the Ajanta Caves.
Consider the following statements about INSV Kaundinya: 1. Her wooden planks are stitched together with coir rope and sealed with natural resins. 2. She was inducted into the Indian Navy in May 2025. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct. The vessel uses ancient stitched-plank construction with coir rope and natural resins, and was inducted in May 2025.