INS Sandhayak

About INS Sandhayak:

• It is the largest survey vessel ever built in India.
• It is fully designed and built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE),
• It is the first in the series of four Survey Vessels (Large), or SVLs, being built by GRSE.
• It is the reincarnation of another ship by that name. The previous warship, also a survey vessel, was commissioned into the Navy in 1981 and decommissioned in 2021. 
• The new INS Sandhayak and the remaining ships in the series are far more advanced than their predecessors. 
• Features:
  • It is a 110-metre-long ship propelled by two marine diesel engines combined with fixed-pitch propellers.
  • It is fitted with bow and stern thrusters to help the ships manoeuvre at low speeds during surveys.
  • It is capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of port and harbour approaches and the determination of navigation channels and routes.
  • It can also undertake surveys of maritime limits and the collection of oceanographic and geographical data for defence applications.
  • It can carry a helicopter, participate in low-intensity combat, and function as a hospital ship.
  • It can also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.