Union Minister Lekhi Initiates Keel-Laying For Navy’s Stitched Ship In Goa

Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi laid the keel for a “stitched ship” in Goa on Tuesday. The ship looks like the ships that used to sail on India’s old maritime trade routes. Lekhi said that the ship is part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Sanjeev Sanyal were there.

A Navy spokesperson has said that once the ship is ready, the Indian Navy will use old navigation methods to go on a unique trip along the traditional maritime trade routes.

He said that the old stitched ship is being made by the Indian Navy, the Union Ministry of Culture, and M/s Hodi Innovations in Goa.

Lekhi, the Union minister of state for culture and foreign affairs, told a group of people at the event that this is part of India’s intangible cultural heritage and that “maybe we can sell it as a multinational entry.” “Because that also has to do with building relationships on both sides,” she said.

“I’m sure that a lot of bad things have happened in history and that our civilization has lost a lot. “It’s time to fix everything,” the minister said.

Admiral Hari Kumar said, “For the Navy, this ship is a step toward freeing our nation from sea blindness and building maritime consciousness.” A Navy official said that the stitched ship is an amazing project that is deeply rooted in India’s culture and civilisational history and is a symbol of our country’s long history of shipbuilding.

He said that this ambitious project was planned with the help of a lot of study and conversations with experts in many different fields.

The official said that the project was accepted by the National Implementation Committee, which is led by the Union home minister. The project will be a memorial on December 14, 2022.

The Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Architecture met with the Ministry of Culture for several rounds of talks. On July 18, a tripartite agreement was signed with M/s Hodi Innovations for the building of the old stitched ship.

An official said that the stitching work will be done by a team of traditional shipwrights lead by Babu Sankaran, who is an expert in stitched ship construction.

Using this time-tested method, the wooden planks will be shaped to fit the shape of the boat’s body by steaming them. He said that each plank will then be stitched to the next one with cords or bands, and the seams will be sealed with a mixture of coconut fiber, resin, and fish oil. This is similar to how ancient Indians built ships.