The Indian Navy has commissioned Ikshak, its third Sandhayak-class Survey Vessel (Large) (SVL), at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi on 6 November 2025.
The vessel was commissioned in the presence of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The commissioning “marks a significant milestone in the Indian Navy’s ongoing efforts to augment its survey and charting infrastructure,” the Indian Navy said in a post on X.
Constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, Ikshak has a displacement of about 3,400 tonnes (t) and measures 110 metres (m) in length.
The vessel is powered by two diesel engines, enabling the ship to reach speeds exceeding 18 knots.
The ship is equipped with several types of hydrographic and oceanographic technology, including a high-resolution multi-beam echo sounder, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). It also carries a data acquisition and processing system and four survey motorboats.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIkshak also features differential global positioning system (DGPS) long-range positioning systems and digital side scan sonar. A helicopter deck extends its operational capabilities by supporting multi-domain missions.
The vessel consists of more than 80% indigenous manufactured components, a result of cooperation between GRSE and Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Ikshak’s primary function will be to conduct both coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, and navigational channels.
A Times of India report states that the vessel is capable of mapping depths up to 10,000m and can scan 1,500m on each side in a single pass.
The information obtained from these operations will be used for supporting safe navigation and reinforcing India’s maritime safety framework.
The ship’s construction began after a contract was signed for four large survey vessels on 30 October 2018.
Ikshak is the 102nd ship managed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and the first vessel of its class to be based at the Southern Naval Command.
The vessel was launched in November 2022 and delivered to the Navy on 14 August 2024.
The first Sandhayak-class vessel, INS Sandhayak, was commissioned on 3 February 2024, followed by INS Nirdeshak on 18 December 2024.
The four new survey vessels have been designed to replace earlier Sandhayak-class ships that were introduced during the 1980s.
