Samudra Shaudhikama and Samudra Kaustabh are two research vessels owned and operated by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). They are used for marine and coastal research, including seabed mapping, mineral exploration, and marine pollution studies.
Samudra Shaudhikama was built in the Netherlands in 1984 and has a displacement of 1,200 tons. It is 72 meters long and has a beam of 12 meters. The vessel is equipped with a variety of marine research instruments, including a multibeam echosounder, a side-scan sonar, and a sediment sampler.
Samudra Kaustabh was also built in the Netherlands in 1984 and has a displacement of 1,000 tons. It is 65 meters long and has a beam of 10 meters. The vessel is equipped with a similar suite of marine research instruments to Samudra Shaudhikama.
Both vessels have been used extensively to survey India’s coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). They have helped to map the seabed, identify potential mineral resources, and study the impact of marine pollution.
In 2023, the GSI announced plans to replace Samudra Shaudhikama and Samudra Kaustabh with two new research vessels. The new vessels are expected to be delivered by 2026 and will be equipped with state-of-the-art marine research instruments.