Navy’s “stitched vessel” to embark on its maiden voyage soon

The tradition of stitched ships, where the vessels are made by stitching wooden planks using coir ropes, borrowing from Kerala’s kettuvallams (“kettu” translates to “tie” in Malayalam), is fast fading. Apart from Goa, this craft is also practised in Lakshadweep, where odams or sewn boats were once used for sailing around the archipelago

Kaundinya, a stitched vessel constructed at Divar island, Goa, was inducted in the Indian Navy at Karwar, Karnataka, on Wednesday. The vessel has been built as part of a joint venture between the Indian Navy, ministry of culture and M/s Hodi Innovations, based in Divar, Goa. Minister of culture Gajendra Shekhawat was the chief guest at the event. The ship will eventually embark on its maiden transoceanic voyage between Gujarat to Oman -- an ancient trade route -- a naval spokesperson told Hindustan Times.

Navy’s “stitched vessel” to embark on its maiden voyage soon

According to the western naval command, this form of ship building is “in keeping with India’s rich maritime tradition, dating back several millennia”. The ship has been constructed in alignment with the ancient shipbuilding practice in Goa, using wood, coir, fish oil and natural resin, by Hodi Innovations, a three-year-old ship building company started by Prathamesh Dandekar, whose family has been in the trade since decades.

The tradition of stitched ships, where the vessels are made by stitching wooden planks using coir ropes, borrowing from Kerala’s kettuvallams (“kettu” translates to “tie” in Malayalam), is fast fading. Apart from Goa, this craft is also practised in Lakshadweep, where odams or sewn boats were once used for sailing around the archipelago.

Kaundinya is 20 metres long, has two masts around four metres in height, square sails, two trailing oars and a flexible hull. Its keel is carved out of Indian Laurel tree, the stem and stern from Teak, and the planks from Wild Jack. The planks are stitched together and then sealed with coconut fibre, fish oil and resin.

Dandekar told Hindustan Times, “It took a year-and-a-half to make the boat. The navy will take expeditions to trace our ancient trade routes. Through its making, naval officers often visited the yard to check on the progress.”

This was corroborated by a naval spokesperson who said the Indian Navy has “overseen the entire spectrum of implementation of this project – from its concept, design, technical validation to execution by Hodi Innovations and traditional artisans”.

The design and construction posed unique technical challenges, as there are no surviving blueprints or physical remnants to rely on. It had to be extrapolated from a two-dimensional artistic iconography. The project demanded a unique interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological interpretation, naval architecture, hydrodynamic testing and traditional craftsmanship. The Indian Navy collaborated with the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, to conduct model testing to validate the vessel’s hydrodynamic behaviour at sea.

“Every aspect of the ship had to balance historical authenticity with seaworthiness, leading to design choices that were both innovative and true to the maritime traditions of ancient India,” said the naval spokesperson, adding the vessel is “unlike any in naval service anywhere in the world”.

People in the know have said that through this endeavour Indian Navy hopes to ignite an interest among people in India’s maritime history, hoping it will cure their “sea blindness”. “The Indian Ocean has been among the busiest global thoroughfares of commercial and cultural traffic for over 2,000 years, with every major empire vying for control of its trade routes,” said a naval officer.

Retired Commander Abhilash Tomy who had sailed on Mhadei, a modern ship built by the Dandekars, in 2013 and 2018, said of Kaundinya: “We are reviving a long-lost art of making traditional ships. It is very different from Mhadei, primarily because of its design. It will require unique seamanship; I would love to sail this boat and see how she behaves at sea.”