The de-commissioned ship INS Guldar was on Friday(21 February) handed over to the state-run MTDC at Karwar on 'as is where is' basis.

• The MTDC will be converted into an underwater museum and artificial reef.
• The MTDC will undertake complete cleaning of the vessel to remove any potential pollutants or hazardous materials and seek environmental clearances as per guidelines for marine conservation, obtaining various NOCs, and scuttle the ship at Sindhudurg by ensuring all safety precautions.
• The INS Guldar (A Polnocny Class Landing Ship) was built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 30 1985.
• The ship was part of the Eastern Naval Command from 1985 to 1995 before being repositioned at Andaman and Nicobar Command, where she served till her decommissioning on January 12, 2024.
• The ship rendered 39 years of service to the nation, during which she sailed for over 3,900 days and successfully conducted over 490 beaching operations to land Army troops ashore.
• The ship participated in various operations beyond her primary landing ship role, including Op Aman, Op Azad, Op Pawan and Op Tasha.