INS Sandhayak (2021)

INS Sandhayak (Hindi: संधायक lit. coordinator) is the lead ship of her class of survey ships. It is a hydrographic survey ship built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.

Design
The ships have a displacement of 3300 t and a length of 110 m. They have a cruising speed of 16 knot with a maximum speed of 18 knot and an operating range of 6500 nmi at a speed of 14 to 16 knot. The ships have a complement of 231 and are equipped with hydrographic sensor equipment and a hangar which can accommodate one advanced light helicopter. In the secondary role, the ships can be fitted with a CRN 91 naval gun. In addition, the vessels will follow MARPOL (marine pollution) Standards of the International Maritime Organisation and will be built per Classification Society Rules and Naval Ship Regulations.

The primary role of the vessels would be to conduct coastal and deep-water hydro-graphic survey of ports, navigational channels, Exclusive Economic Zones and collection of oceanographic data for defence. Their secondary role would be to perform search & rescue, ocean research and function as hospital ships for casualties.

Construction
The keel of the ship was laid on 8 November 2019 and launched on 5 December 2021. She is the lead class of her class.

The ship was delivered to the Indian Navy on the eve of Navy Day celebration on 4 December 2023. The ship was commissioned on 3 February 2024 in Visakhapatnam.