CM Devendra Fadnavis Inaugurates India’s First Underwater Museum in Sindhudurg via Video Conferencing

Mumbai : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis virtually inaugurated India’s first underwater museum project near Nivti Rock in Vengurla taluka of Sindhudurg district. The museum will feature the decommissioned Indian Navy warship INS Guldar, which will be submerged to serve both as a museum and as a base for creating an artificial coral reef.

The inauguration ceremony, held via video conferencing, was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Tourism Minister Shambhuraj Desai, Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, and other cabinet members.

This one-of-a-kind initiative in India is expected to significantly boost marine conservation and tourism. Once submerged, the ship will promote coral growth, enable scuba diving activities, and eventually open avenues for submarine-based tourism. As part of a landmark step, the central government handed over the decommissioned INS Guldar to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) free of cost, with approvals from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Countries across the globe have successfully implemented similar projects. Now, with this endeavor, India joins the list. Officials present included Atul Patne (Principal Secretary, Tourism Department), Manoj Kumar Suryawanshi (MD, MTDC), Chandrashekhar Jaiswal (GM, MTDC), and Sindhudurg District Collector Anil Patil, among others.

Details of the Decommissioned Warship:

The ship weighs 1,120 tonnes, with a length of 83.9 meters, a width of 9.7 meters, and a depth of 5.2 meters. It was decommissioned on January 12, 2024. Under the Centre’s scheme ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment – Part 3’, the Ministry of Tourism approved a funding of ₹46.91 crore for converting INS Guldar into an Underwater Museum, Artificial Reef, and Submarine Tourism Site on December 27, 2024.

The Indian Navy agreed to transport the warship at its own expense from Port Blair, Andaman Islands to Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka, saving significant costs for the Maharashtra Government.

Project Milestones:

• February 22, 2024: MTDC officially took possession of the ship at Karwar Naval Base.
• March 16, 2025: The warship was towed and safely docked at Vijaydurg Jetty in Sindhudurg.
• The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) granted free permission to store the ship at the jetty for 6–7 months.
• April 15, 2025: A designated agency completed the environmental cleaning of the vessel.
• April 16, 2025: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. was issued the work order for scuttling (submerging) the ship near Nivti Rock (Coordinates: Latitude 15°56.138′N and Longitude 73°22.601′E).

Once submerged, coral formation will be encouraged around the ship. This will lay the foundation for eco-tourism through scuba diving and, in the future, submarine tours, allowing tourists to explore the underwater museum and surrounding marine life.