INSV Kaundinya: India’s push towards maritime decolonisation, reclaiming civilisational legacy

On December 29, 2025, the Indian Navy flagged off the maiden overseas voyage of INSV Kaundinya from Porbandar on India’s western coast along the Arabian Sea. The expedition was formally flagged off by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, in the presence of senior naval officials and the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to India, Issa Saleh Alshibani. Built entirely using ancient Indian stitched-plank shipbuilding techniques and natural materials, Kaundinya is the Indian Navy’s first vessel constructed through indigenous methods believed to have been used centuries ago. Kaundinya’s journey from India’s western coast to Oman is far more than a naval…