INS Samarthak: India commissions its first Multi-Purpose Vessel, the first major warship built by a private yard

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Samarthak, the first of its class of Multi-Purpose Vessels, on 16 October 2026, according to a Ministry of Defence release issued through the Press Information Bureau. The ship was designed and built by L&T Shipyard, which the ministry describes as the first major warship built by a private Indian shipyard.

The ceremony was presided over by Vice President Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, with Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, the Chief of the Naval Staff, in attendance. A Karnataka state minister, senior naval and defence officials and representatives of Larsen & Toubro and of the manufacturers of the ship’s indigenous equipment also took part.

A platform for trials and evaluation

The ministry presents Samarthak as a versatile platform conceived for trials and evaluation. Its induction, it says, “significantly strengthens India’s ability for testing and training new sensors and weapons developed indigenously by domestic industry.” The release adds that the ship can also carry out maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations when required.

The name means “The Proponent” in the release’s translation, and the ministry frames it as a dependable enabler for multiple missions. It states that the ship has over 75 percent indigenous content and was built using extensive modular construction and pre-outfitting, which the ministry says shortened the build process. The release gives no dimensions, armament or crew figures.

Industry and policy context

The government ties the commissioning to its self-reliance policy, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and says the project contributed to employment and capability development in the domestic economy. In his address, the Vice President stressed the strategic significance of indigenously built naval platforms, according to the release, which also links the ship to maritime security and cooperation across the Indian Ocean Region.

India’s defence relationships have been in the news this week, including a visit by its Defence Secretary to Athens, covered in Greece and India agree to expand defence cooperation as Davakis meets Indian Defence Secretary Singh, who also visits Salamis Naval Base. Details of the Samarthak class beyond the first ship were not given in the ministry’s release.