PTI
Karwar
Samarthak, India’s first multipurpose vessel built by a private shipyard, was commissioned into the Navy on Friday, marking a major milestone in expanding the role of domestic industry in warship construction.
Addressing the commissioning ceremony in the presence of Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan at the Navy’s base at Karwar, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna
Swaminathan said the vessel, built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) at its Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu, has more than 75 per cent indigenous content.
Speaking on the occasion, Radhakrishnan said India’s growing indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and technological advancements would strengthen the Navy’s ability to meet emerging maritime
security challenges.
The Vice-President underscored that AI and unmanned systems are transforming naval warfare.
Radhakrishnan said the warship would serve as a dedicated platform for trials and evaluation of next-generation weapons, sensors and emerging technologies, helping the Navy translate indigenous innovations into operational capabilities.
Karnataka Minister for Labour Santosh Lad was also present on the occasion. Admiral Swaminathan described the commissioning as a significant step towards ‘Aatmanirbharata’ (self-reliance), noting that the vessel was designed, engineered and built entirely in-house at L&T’s Warship Design
Centre and shipyard.
Samarthak is the first of the four multi-purpose vessels inducted into the Indian Navy, and its commissioning marks another important milestone in India’s drive towards defence self-reliance. It will form an important component of the Navy’s future and is an ideal “utility” ship for strategically
important operations.
“Samarthak is the first major or big warship contracted to and constructed by a private shipyard to be commissioned into the Indian Navy,” he said.
The vessel is designed to undertake a range of operational and support roles, including trials of indigenous weapons and sensors, operations involving unmanned autonomous systems, and maritime surveillance and patrol duties.
Admiral Swaminathan explained that Samarthak is equipped with a state-of-the-art dynamic positioning system and can launch and recover targets used in warship exercises at sea. It will also serve as a trial platform for indigenous weapons and sensors under development.
“These capabilities are particularly vital in today’s rapidly evolving technological milieu, where shortening the journey from prototype to production is critical to maintaining the operational edge at sea,” he said.
The vessel’s capabilities extend beyond testing and evaluation. Its endurance and ability to support other ships at sea will help sustain naval operations across dispersed areas of interest for extended periods, the Navy chief said.
Samarthak is also equipped with heavy-towing facilities, medical infrastructure and firefighting capabilities to assist ships in distress and respond to emergencies at sea. It can support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations as well as non-combatant evacuation missions.
