Overview
- Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan flagged the vessel off from Porbandar for an estimated two-week, roughly 800‑nautical‑mile voyage to Muscat.
- Built without engines or metal fastenings, the Tankai-stitched hull of coir-sewn planks was validated through hydrodynamic and stability studies with IIT Madras.
- The mission sits under a tripartite project funded by the Ministry of Culture with the Indian Navy and Hodi Innovations, using Kerala artisans led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran.
- The ship carries only limited battery power for radio and navigation lights and bears heritage motifs including the Gandabherunda, sun-emblazoned sails, a Simha Yali bow figure and a Harappan-style stone anchor.
- The Navy casts the voyage as a cultural-diplomatic effort to retrace historic Indian Ocean routes, a message echoed by Oman’s ambassador at the flag-off.