Sandhayak is capable of conducting shallow coastal and deep oceanic hydrographic survey and collect oceanographic and geophysical data.

[3] Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers and commissioned into the Naval service at Visakhapatnam naval base in 2001, Sandhayak is actually the Indian Navy's fifth hydrographic survey ship in the series indigenously designed and constructed.

The equipment allow the ship to meet the stringent international/ISO 9002 digital survey accuracy standards required for the production of electronic navigation charts and publications as laid down by the International Hydrographic Organization.

Sandhayak is powered by two diesel engines and is capable of sustained speeds and can also undertake a variety of tasks including rescue operations.

[4] The primary task of Sandhayak includes hydrographic surveys, nautical chart preparation, with cartography and training.