As Ikshak, the large hydrographic vessel of the Indian Navy, starts its mission guiding the Southern Naval Command in mapping the ocean floor and identifying threats, it marks a technological leap forward for the Navy.

The Indian Navy will commission INS Ikshak, the modern Sandhayak-class hydrographic survey vessel in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi at Kochi Naval Base on Thursday.

As Commanding Officer Captain Tribhuvan Singh puts it, Ikshak is a beacon of precision, purpose, and self-reliance on India’s maritime horizon. She is not just a survey vessel, but can be converted into a 40-bed hospital during emergency.

Equipped with state-of-the-art hydrographic and oceanographic equipment, including a high-resolution multi-beam echo sounder, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), and four Survey Motor Boats (SMBs), Ikshak brings unmatched versatility and capability to the Navy’s hydrographic fleet. The ship has a helicopter deck, extending its operational reach and enabling multi-domain missions.

The vessel has a length of 110 m, a beam of 16 m and a displacement of 3,300 tonnes. It can accommodate 231 crew members and 20 officers.

A hydrographic survey vessel is a specialised ship designed to map the seafloor and collect oceanographic data. The data is used to produce nautical charts for safe navigation, but it also supports other applications like geological surveys for oil and gas, search and rescue, and disaster relief, said Defence PRO Commander Atul Pillai.

“Though its primary role is that of a survey vessel, Ikshak can be converted into a hospital vessel. There is a hospital facility with six beds, an isolation ward, an operation theatre and lab facility on board. We have on board facilities like an ultrasound scan, portable X-Ray machine, blood bank, emergency surgery instruments and portable ventilator.

Principal Medical Officer Sergeant Commander Athul N Gopinath explaining the hospital facilities on board Ikshak

Principal Medical Officer Sergeant Commander Athul N Gopinath explaining the hospital facilities on board Ikshak

During times of emergency, the vessel can be converted into a 40-bed hospital. Medical teams from base hospital can board the vessel with surgeons, anesthetist, radiologist etc,” said Principal Medical Officer Sergeant Commander Athul N Gopinath.

“The survey vessel maps the ocean floor and prepares a navigation chart, which can be used by merchant vessels, cruise ships and warships entering Indian waters. The navigation chart prepared by us will go to the National Hydrographic Office which will conduct quality assurance and quality control analysis. The chart will map shallow waters, sunken vessels, pipelines and communication cables. This also helps the Navy earn income through sharing of data. Our vessels have conducted hydrographic surveys for countries like Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said Lieutenant Commander Rohin Sodhi in charge of the Chart Room of Ikshak.

Ikshak has got an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and remotely operated vehicles that can survey upto a depth of 10,000 m. It has multi beam echo sounders and side scan sonar that will help identify sunken vessels and underwater pipelines. At a depth of 1,000 m it can scan 1,500 m on either side.

The AUV can operate as an on board computer which we can programme by connecting it to a laptop. It can maintain a distance of 1.5 km under water and carry out the mission while sending periodic updates. When deployed, it can go to a depth of 1000 m and carry out multi beam surveys. There are specific payloads for multiple tasks. Once programmed, it can continue the mission for 24 hours. We have developed a special winch which will deploy the AUV into the sea.

The Hugin 1000 AUV has high-resolution sensors, multi-role capabilities, in-mission data processing, and high maneuverability. It will be recovered after the mission using boats, said master chief mechanic Sunil Kumar.

The vessel has 80 per cent indigenous content and is powered by two diesel engines. It has a bow thruster and stern thruster that help turn the vessel without forward motion. It can cruise at a speed of 18 knots per hour. The engine is controlled by an Integrated Platform Management system.