The keel-laying ceremony for the two ships in the Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) Project (Yard18001 – Samarthak and Yard 18002 – Utkarsh) was held at the L&T Shipyard in Kattupalli on March 20, 23. VAdm Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel, presided over the ceremony, which was also attended by VAdm Kiran Deshmukh, CWP&A, Shri Ashok Khetan, Head Shipbuilding Business, L&T, and other high-ranking officials from the Indian Navy and L&T.
The contract to build two Multi-Purpose Vessels was signed with L&T Shipyard on March 22. This was in line with the Indian government’s “Aatmarnirbhar Bharat” and “Make in India” programmes. These are the first warships for the Indian Navy to be built by L&T, Kattupalli.
All of the Multi-Purpose Vessels’ main machinery, auxiliary equipment, and systems will come from manufacturers in the country. This will give the country’s defence production and job creation even more of a boost.
Once they are given to the Indian Navy, these ships will be used for a variety of support roles, like maritime surveillance, patrolling, disaster relief, and launching expendable targets for exercises. These ships would also be used to run unmanned, remote-controlled, or self-driving ships.
