Context: Maharashtra is set to create India’s first underwater museum and artificial coral reef by scuttling the decommissioned naval warship INS Guldar near Nivati Rocks, Vengurla, in Sindhudurg district.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About India’s First Underwater Museum; Artificial Coral Reef; INS Guldar.
India’s first Underwater Museum and Artificial Coral Reef
- India’s first underwater museum and artificial coral reef will be developed around the decommissioned warship INS Guldar in Maharashtra.
- Aim: To boost marine conservation and tourism, offering scuba diving and future submarine tours.
- The underwater museum cum-artificial reef is estimated to cost Rs 78 crore. The initiative is supported by the central government. Centre will bear nearly 60% of the total cost and the state government the rest.
INS Guldar
- INS Guldar, an 83 metre long Kumbhir Class landing ship, was built in Poland and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1985. It was decommissioned in 2024.
- It was designed for amphibious warfare and capable of beach landings. It was once part of India’s peace keeping mission in Srilanka combating attacks from the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
- It has been officially handed over by the central government to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation for conversion into a submerged museum.
Scuttling of INS Guldar:
- Scuttling is the deliberate sinking (controlled sinking) of a ship to dispose of an old vessel, create an artificial reef, or prevent it from falling into enemy hands. The process of scuttling follows the Archimedes principle.
- Archimedes principle: The buoyant force keeping an object afloat is equal to the weight of the water the object displaces.