Indian Naval Ship Samarthak, the first of class Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPVs), was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 16 October 2026. The ceremony was presided over by the Vice President of India, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, in the presence of Adm Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The m​inister for labour and employment, government of Karnataka, along with senior naval and defence officials and dignitaries from the ministry of defence (MoD), also graced the occasion. Key representatives of Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) associated with indigenous equipment were also present during the commissioning ceremony.

Designed and constructed by L&T Shipyard, INS Samarthak marks a significant milestone in India’s indigenous shipbuilding journey as the first major warship to be built by an Indian private shipyard. The commissioning is a powerful testament to the growing maturity and capability of the nation’s private shipbuilding industry and reflects the deepening synergy between the Indian Navy and the Indian shipbuilding industry in advancing the national vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Conceived as a versatile platform for trials and evaluation, INS Samarthak embodies the enhanced technological and operational capabilities of the Indian Navy in the 21st century. With over 75 percent indigenous content, the ship incorporates extensive modular construction and pre-outfitting, significantly optimising the build process and construction timelines. The project has also contributed to employment generation, capability development and plough back into the Indian economy.

Aptly named Samarthak, meaning ‘The Proponent’, the ship represents the spirit of a dependable enabler, capable of supporting multiple missions and has been designed with inherent versatility and adaptability, enabling it to undertake diverse range of operational and developmental tasks. True to its name, INS Samarthak is capable of undertaking maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, as required.

Addressing the gathering, the chief guest underscored the strategic significance of indigenously built naval platforms in strengthening the country’s maritime capabilities and enhancing the Indian Navy’s ability to undertake an increasingly wide spectrum of operational and testing missions. The commissioning of INS Samarthak reinforces the nation’s commitment to maritime security, regional stability and cooperative engagement across the IOR. The ship epitomises India’s sustained pursuit of a self-reliant and resilient domestic defence industrial ecosystem.

The induction of INS Samarthak significantly strengthens India's ability for testing and training new sensors and weapons developed indigenously by domestic industry. The ship’s versatility is an advantage in an unpredictable maritime environment, given the rise of non-traditional maritime threats.