A groundbreaking excavation near the coastal Harappan outpost of Shikarpur has revealed what archaeologists believe to be the world's earliest known factory for maritime safety equipment. The site contains specialized vats for processing cork-like plant resins and shaping them into lightweight floatation devices. These artifacts, found alongside stone mooring bollards, suggest that Indus Valley seafarers utilized advanced safety gear during their long-distance voyages to Mesopotamia.
The facility includes several standardized drying racks and stone molds used for casting resin into buoyant rings. Chemical analysis of the residues found in the vats confirms a mixture of bitumen and local plant fibers designed to be both water-repellent and highly buoyant. This discovery challenges the notion that ancient maritime technology was purely focused on vessel construction, highlighting a sophisticated concern for the survival of the crew during coastal navigation.