Antigua: Indian Navy’s Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini arrived at Antigua after successfully completing a historic trans-Atlantic crossing as part of the Lokayan 26 expedition.
The ship was received by Honorary Consul General of India to Antigua and Barbuda Vijay Tewani and Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff Brig Telbert Benjamin.
The 19-day voyage from Mindelo, Cape Verde to Antigua marked the first Atlantic crossing by INS Sudarshini and the longest leg of the expedition. During the journey, the ship crossed 10,000 nautical miles since departing from Kochi on January 20, 2026.
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The expedition aims to promote maritime outreach, strengthen international goodwill and showcase India’s rich seafaring traditions. After port calls across West Asia, Europe and Africa, the ship has now entered the Caribbean and American phase of the voyage, including participation in the upcoming SAIL 250 events in the United States.
During its stay in Antigua, the crew will take part in professional, cultural and community outreach activities before proceeding to Norfolk, USA.
INS Sudarshini is a sail training ship built by Goa Shipyard Ltd for the Indian Navy. The ship is a follow on class of INS Tarangini which was commissioned in 1997.
Sudarshini is a three-masted barque. It is 54 metres long and has 20 sails, 7.5 km of rope and 1.5 km of steel wire rope. Her sails have a total area of approximately 1,035 square metres (11,140 sq ft). Capable of operations under sail or power, and with a complement of 5 officers, 31 sailors with 30 cadets embarked for training, she can remain at sea for at least 20 days at a time.
Sudarshini‘s steel hull was laid on 25 January 2011 on the West Coast of India at the port town of Vasco da Gama, Goa, and by then the major portion of work had been completed. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 27 January 2012. Built for worldwide operations, it will be used as a basic seamanship and character building platform.
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She recently completed a 127 day voyage, visiting 13 ports in the nine countries forming the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Vietnam and the Philippines. She trained 150 cadets during the voyage which retraced a centuries’ old trade route used by erstwhile traders, and was warmly received at all ports, with wide media publicity.
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The ship has been designed by Colin Mudie.
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