VISAKHAPATNAM, Feb 3: In the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the first of four Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ships, INS Sandhayak, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Saturday at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. Singh declared that individuals engaged in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be allowed, adding that the SVL ship will be very helpful in learning about the oceans and accomplishing the dual goals of safeguarding the nation and others. To facilitate safe marine navigation, INS Sandhayak’s main responsibility is to conduct comprehensive hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels, routes, coastal areas, and deep oceans.The Indian Ocean has a number of choke spots, including the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea, and others, through which a significant volume of international traffic passes. In reference to the Indian Navy’s swift action to save ships from pirates, Singh stated, “Many threats remain at these choke points, the biggest being from pirates.” The minister praised the Indian Navy for protecting friendly nation’s ships in addition to Indian ones, and issued a warning that anyone engaged in maritime piracy and smuggling would not be tolerated. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to upholding international trade and navigational freedoms, as well as to putting an end to illicit and unreported fishing in the Indian Ocean.According to an official statement, Singh stated that “INS Sandhayak will further strengthen India’s role as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific region and help the Indian Navy in maintaining peace and security.” The defence minister claims that the nation is moving forward on its growth path with a stronger Navy than before, acting as the first responder to provide security in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific area. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), in Kolkata, is where INS Sandhayak was constructed. The Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau oversaw this project.With a displacement of 3,400 tonnes, it is 110 metres long and 16 metres wide. It is outfitted with cutting edge hydrographic technology, such as autonomous underwater vehicles and multibeam echo sounders for both shallow and deep waters. INS Sandhayak, which has eighty percent indigenous content, also includes side scan sonars, a data collecting and processing system, a remotely operated vehicle, and other innovative technologies.
