L&T Delivers First Samarthak Multi-Purpose Vessel to Indian Navy Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has handed over the Indian Navy’s first indigenously constructed Multi-Purpose Vessel, INS Samarthak, at its shipbuilding facility in Kattupalli, Tamil Nadu.The vessel is being delivered under an ₹8.87-billion ($93.4-million) contract signed in 2022 for a new class of naval support ships. The program emphasizes domestic construction, with an indigenous workforce and locally sourced components accounting for more than 75 percent of the government’s required domestic participation.After entering service, INS Samarthak will support trials of the Indian Navy’s next-generation weapons, sensors, and unmanned systems. Its other roles will include maritime surveillance, offshore patrol missions, target deployment and recovery, torpedo retrieval, and humanitarian assistance.The ship incorporates a dynamic positioning system for accurate maneuvering, limited medical facilities, sea-pollution control equipment, and capabilities for supporting logistics to remote islands.The Navy is also scheduled to receive a second vessel in the Multi-Purpose Vessel series. INS Utkarsh, launched in January 2025, is currently undergoing sea trials ahead of its delivery.Samarthak-Class VesselThe Samarthak-class platform has a length of 107 meters (351 feet) and a beam of 19 meters (62 feet). It can accommodate more than 100 sailors and support a tactical helicopter comparable to the HAL Dhruv.Its weapon fit includes a 213mm anti-submarine rocket launcher, 324mm triple torpedo launcher, 533mm twin torpedo launcher, 76mm naval gun, 30mm autocannons, 12.7mm auxiliary guns, and an electronic warfare suite.Propulsion comes from two Cummins QSK95 diesel engines, giving the vessel a top speed of 15 knots (28 km/h or 17 mph) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,334 km or 5,179 miles).
