India's 1st Underwater Museum to be Built Around INS Guldar in Maharashtra

The project to build India’s first underwater museum and coral reef around a decommissioned Indian Navy landing ship tank, INS Guldar, started in  Sindhudurg on June 10, 2025. Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, virtually participated in the ceremony.

The project is expected to be completed by December 2025 or early 2026. It is expected to boost marine ecotourism in the country and the state.

Who is implementing the Project?

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation of the Maharashtra government is implementing the project in association with maritime and environmental experts. 

The project is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs 46.91 crore for the project, which aims to boost marine conservation and tourism in the state and the country.

About the Project 

For the first time, in the country, a naval ship will be converted into an ecological and tourism asset, simultaneously preserving the Indian Navy’s legacy.

On 20th February 2025,  the Indian Navy handed over the INS Guldar to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation at the Naval base in Karwar, Karnataka.

The INS Guldar has been stationed at the Sindhudurg coast of Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation will first remove all hazardous materials and pollutants from the ship, such as oils and batteries.

The ship will be submerged in a controlled manner and become an artificial reef.

Once it is made a reef, the submerged ship will eventually become a habitat for marine ecosystems—corals, fish, and other organisms.

The underwater museum is expected to attract scuba divers and tourists.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation expects to complete the project by the end of 2025 or early 2026. 

About INS Guldar 

The INS Guldar was built at the Gdynia Shipyard in Poland and was commissioned in the Indian Navy in December 1985. 

It was a Magar-class ship that was designed for amphibious warfare.

It was an Indian Navy landing ship capable of landing troops, tanks, and other supplies on the shore of the battle area. 

INS Guldar was initially part of the Eastern Naval Command, but it was later transferred to the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The Indian Navy decommissioned the ship in January 2024.