Maharashtra to transform INS Guldar to underwater museum

• The Maharashtra government is developing India’s first underwater museum and artificial coral reef around the decommissioned warship INS Guldar near Nivati Rocks at Vengurla in Sindhudurg district. 

• The initiative aims to boost marine conservation and tourism, offering scuba diving and future submarine tours. 

• This is the first-of-its-kind-initiative in India to use a decommissioned ship of the Indian Navy.

• The Union Tourism Ministry has approved Rs 46.91 crore for the project.

• INS Guldar was built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1985.

• The ship was part of the Eastern Naval Command from 1985 to 1995 before being repositioned at Andaman and Nicobar Command.

• The ship, weighing 1,120 tonnes, was decommissioned in January 2024. 

• The Indian Navy handed over INS Guldar to Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MTDC on February 21.

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