‘Stitched ship’ weaves past and present

Tracing India’s history to the Bronze Age, a group of enthusiasts is recreating “stitched ship” that was once used for trade and commerce. Other than just reviving India’s ancient maritime heritage, the vessel is expected to set sail by the end of 2025.

Touted to be an eyeopener for the sea blind, the project gives the present a chance to bask in the glory of the past.

“Indians have sailed the Indian Ocean, from the Harappan period, using ships that were stitched together. We are trying to recreate a ship from the Gupta era, the fifth century. Not just Kerala, but the entire coastline once boasted of ships like this,” said Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, and the brain behind the project. Titled as the Stitched Ship project, the name of the vessel is yet to be disclosed.

NOT A NEW CONCEPT

A ‘stitched ship’ is a wooden boat built using the technique of carvel planking, or planks stitched together with cords/rope. Sanyal reiterated, “We are not trying to revive the ancient technology. Rather, we are attempting to recreate a Gupta-era ship. The ship is being built with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy. The Shipping Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs and others are helping us with the voyages.”

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally encouraged us,” he told businessline. The Keel of the ship was laid in September 2023.

According to Commodore Debesh Lahiri (Retd), Senior fellow and the Executive Editor of ‘Maritime Ašairs’, National Maritime Foundation, “This project is inspired from a 4th-century CE vessel depicted in the Ajanta paintings, ancient texts, carvings, and descriptions of foreign travellers.”

The ship has been under construction for almost a year now. “It should be in the water by March 2025 or so, then it will need to be fitted out, prior to the sea trials. The first voyage is expected to be to Oman, following which we hope to sail from Odisha to Indonesia to recreate the ‘Bali Yatra’,” he said.

VOYAGE DETAILS

“There will be about 15 people, including a captain and 14-15 sailors. And yes, I do intend to be sailing as part of the first voyage,” he said. According to Cmde Lahiri, “The current initiative is to reconstruct a 19.6 metre stitched ship.”

He added that the preliminary design had been based on the documentary evidence available, necessary modifications have been made in accordance with modern design parameters to enhance stability and safety. “The ship’s design has been modified to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on rolling limits of similarly-sized vessels,” he said.