INS Guldar to Be Sunk Off Sindhudurg for Scuba Tourism Boost
In a major push for adventure tourism in Maharashtra, the state's tourism department will acquire the decommissioned naval warship INS Guldar and deliberately sink it near Nivati Rocks, Sindhudurg District. This initiative aims to create India's first artificial reef to enhance scuba diving tourism while also promoting marine biodiversity. The project follows global examples of repurposing decommissioned ships as artificial reefs, like the USS Spiegel Grove in Florida and Thai Royal Navy ships in Chonburi. INS Guldar, an 83-meter-long Kumbhir-class landing ship, was commissioned in 1985 and decommissioned in January 2024.
The Indian Navy provided the vessel free of cost after an earlier request for INS Vikrant was denied due to cost considerations.
The ship will be transported from Port Blair to Karwar, undergo component removal, and finally be sunk near Nivati Rocks, Sindhudurg.