The Ministry of Defence on Friday signed a contract with Indian conglomerate, Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T) for the acquisition of two multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) for the Indian Navy.

The Rs 887 crore deal was signed under the “Buy-Indian” category. The contract was signed in the presence of Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and Pankaj Agarwal, Additional Secretary and Director General Acquisition. Delivery of vessels is scheduled to commence from May 2025.

MoD signed a contract with L&T for acquisition of two multi-purpose vessels for Indian Navy

MPVs will be the first of its kind platform, constructed to provide a cost-effective solution to meet a variety of requirements of the Indian Navy. These vessels, to be built by L&T shipyard at Kattupally (Chennai), will perform multi-role support functions such as maritime surveillance and patrol, launching/ recovery of torpedoes and operation of various types of aerial, surface and underwater targets for Gunnery/ ASW firing exercises.

These vessels would also be capable of towing ships and rendering Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support with limited hospital ship capability. They will also act as a trial platform for naval weapons and sensors under development, a support platform for ISV and salvage operations, and to provide logistics support for India's island territories.

This contract will further boost and encourage active participation of the Indian shipbuilding industry in consonance with the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives of the Government of India.