India's first underwater museum around INS Guldar

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A landmark project has been launched in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra to give a new direction to India's marine tourism and ecological conservation efforts.
The project is related to creating India's first underwater museum and artificial coral reef around INS Guldar, a retired landing ship tank of the Indian Navy.

Objective and significance of the project

The main objective of this project is to preserve the glorious heritage of the Indian Navy and convert it into a tourism and ecological educational resource.
This will be the first time in the country that a naval ship will be submerged and converted into an artificial coral reef and underwater museum.
Through this, marine life will get a new habitat and eco-friendly tourism will be promoted.

The project is being implemented by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), the lead agency of the Government of Maharashtra, with the cooperation of marine and environmental experts.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, which has sanctioned an amount of ₹ 46.91 crore for this.
This financial assistance has been given with the aim to promote marine conservation, sustainable tourism and awareness at the state and national level.

The project started on 20 February 2025, when the Indian Navy formally handed over INS Guldar to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation at the Naval Base in Karwar, Karnataka.
The ship was then moved to the Sindhudurg coast, where it will be submerged in a planned manner.
Before this, all the hazardous and polluting elements – such as oil, batteries and other toxic substances – will be completely removed from the ship.
After this, the ship will be submerged in the sea in a controlled manner, so that it can become an artificial reef on the seabed, which will prove to be a suitable habitat for marine life.
A protected area will be developed around this submerged ship, where tourists will be able to visit the underwater museum and enjoy activities like scuba diving.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation aims to complete the project by December 2025 or early 2026.

INS Guldar was a Kumbhir-class landing ship tank, specially designed for amphibious operations.
The ship was built at Gdynia Shipyard in Poland and joined the Indian Navy in December 1985.
The ship was capable of transporting troops, tanks and essential supplies to coastal areas during sea warfare.
During its service, the ship was first under the Eastern Naval Command and later assigned to the Andaman and Nicobar Command.