A 21-metre “stitched ship”, an ancient technique of constructing a ship by stitching plank of woods using ropes, cords, coconut fibers, natural resins and oils, is set to start a voyage with a 13-member Indian Navy crew from Odisha to Indonesia’s Bali in November 2025 as part of an initiative to revive and honour India’s traditional maritime heritage, it was announced on Tuesday.
The project, an initiative of the Centre, along with the Navy, the Culture Ministry, and Goa-based shipbuilding company Hodi Innovations, is set to cost Rs 9 crore and is expected to take 22 months to complete.
At the “keel-laying” ceremony of the ship in Divar, Goa, on Tuesday, MoS Culture Meenakshi Lekhi said it is time to “reclaim our legacy as seafarers of the world” and revive the country’s rich maritime heritage.
Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, said, “We have taken several inputs and adapted the design, but the rough idea (was taken from) from an Ajanta painting of a stitched ship. The ship will have square sails, two masts, two trailing oars and a flexible hull (no frame). We will not use a rudder.”
Why they fell out of favour
The “stitched ship” method of shipbuilding fell out of favour around 16th century, when European powers began to colonise the Indian Ocean region and it was found that stitched ships had a flaw: they were not suitable for use of canons, as they could not withstand the recoil from blast of canons.
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After it is built, Sanyal said, the tests will take about six months. “For the first time in generations, a large ship is being built using this technique. We hope to sail it in November 2025 during the Bali Jatra festival on Kartik Purnima. Stitching ship technique is a dying art and very few people know how to do it,” he said.
The stitching work is being undertaken by a team of traditional shipwrights led by Babu Sankaran, an expert in stitched ship construction. Sankaran, who comes from Kerala, said it will be reminiscent of ships that once sailed on India’s ancient maritime trade routes.
“In the stitched method, the wooden planks are shaped using the traditional steaming method to conform to the shape of the hull. Each plank is stitched to another using cords, ropes, sealed with a combination of coconut fiber, resin, and fish oil,” he said. “Over time, everyone shifted to the European nailed-frame style of shipbuilding; stitched style was relegated to small coastal boats.”
