The Indian Navy commissioned Samarthak, its first multi-purpose vessel built by a private shipyard, at a ceremony at its base in Karwar, Karnataka, on Friday, marking a milestone in India's push to expand private-sector participation in warship construction. Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan attended the ceremony, where Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan highlighted the vessel's indigenous design, advanced systems and role in testing next-generation defence technologies.
Built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) at its Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu, Samarthak has more than 75 per cent indigenous content. It is the first of four multi-purpose vessels being inducted into the Navy and is expected to support a range of operational, surveillance, testing and emergency-response missions.
