India's push to expand private-sector participation in warship construction received a boost on Friday as the Indian Navy commissioned Samarthak, the country's first multi-purpose vessel built by a private shipyard, at its Karwar base in Karnataka. Built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T), the vessel has more than 75 per cent indigenous content.
Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan attended the commissioning ceremony, where Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan highlighted the vessel's role in strengthening India's defence manufacturing capabilities. Karnataka labour minister Santosh Lad was also present.
Samarthak is the first of four multi-purpose vessels being inducted into the Navy. Constructed at L&T's Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu, the vessel was designed and engineered in-house at the company's Warship Design Centre.
Swaminathan described the commissioning as a significant step towards Aatmanirbharata, or self-reliance, and underlined the importance of greater domestic participation in building the Navy's fleet.
"This is the first major or big warship contracted to and constructed by a private shipyard to be commissioned into the Indian Navy," he said.
Designed for a range of operational and support duties, Samarthak will help the Navy test indigenous weapons and sensors, operate unmanned autonomous systems, and conduct maritime surveillance and patrols.
The vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system that enables it to maintain its position at sea. It can also launch and recover targets used during naval exercises, making it a platform for testing weapons and sensors under development.
Swaminathan said such capabilities would help shorten the time required to move new technologies from the prototype stage to production, an important consideration as naval warfare evolves rapidly.
Beyond testing and evaluation, Samarthak is designed to support other ships at sea and sustain naval operations across widely dispersed areas of interest for extended periods.
Its heavy-towing facilities, medical infrastructure and firefighting equipment will enable it to assist vessels in distress and respond to emergencies at sea. The ship can also undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, besides supporting the evacuation of non-combatants from crisis-hit areas.
Swaminathan said the vessel would strengthen the Navy's operational readiness and help turn emerging technologies into deployable capabilities. It would also support India's ambition to act as a first responder and a preferred security partner in the region, in keeping with the national vision of Mahasagar.
The Navy chief congratulated L&T's leadership and workforce, along with the Navy's warship production teams, micro, small and medium enterprises, equipment manufacturers and other industry partners involved in the project.
He also called for lessons from Samarthak's construction to be applied to future projects, with particular emphasis on improving build quality and reducing the time required to build ships.
"Even a very successful maiden achievement can give us useful pointers to strengthen our efforts in the long term," he said.
Addressing the vessel's crew, Swaminathan said they had a responsibility to establish high operational standards and give the ship its purpose.
The commissioning marks a further step in the Navy's collaboration with domestic shipyards and industry to develop indigenous technologies and strengthen India's maritime manufacturing base.