Quick answer: INS Kesari (L15) is a Shardul-class Landing Ship Tank of the Indian Navy, built by GRSE, Kolkata, and commissioned in 2008. It is in the news because water entered the ship on the afternoon of Saturday, 31 October 2026, while it was berthed at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. According to the Eastern Naval Command, nobody was hurt.
Why INS Kesari is in the news
A spokesperson for the Eastern Naval Command said on social media that INS Kesari had experienced water ingress at its berth inside the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, on 31 October 2026. No injuries or deaths were reported, and the crew began pumping the water out. The incident happened in harbour, not at sea during an operational deployment. As of 1 November, neither the cause nor the extent of the damage had been made public.
Key facts about INS Kesari
- Pennant number L15. It is the second of three Shardul-class tank landing ships (LST); the other two are INS Shardul and INS Airavat.
- Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. It was launched on 8 June 2005 and commissioned on 5 April 2008 at Visakhapatnam.
- “Kesari” means lion. In 2009 the ship was moved from the Eastern Naval Command to Port Blair, under the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
- It displaces about 5,650 tonnes and is 125 m long. It can carry about 500 troops and up to 11 main battle tanks plus 10 other vehicles.
- It has four landing craft (LCVPs) and space for one Sea King or Dhruv helicopter. Its WM-18 rocket launchers, developed by DRDO and made by L&T, are used to clear beaches before a landing.
- The Shardul class has over 90% indigenous content.
India’s amphibious ships at a glance
An LST is built to run onto a beach and unload troops and tanks over a bow ramp. A landing platform dock (LPD) carries landing craft in a floodable well deck instead. India operates both types.
| Ship / class | Type | Builder / origin | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Jalashwa (L41) | Landing Platform Dock (Austin class) | Ex-USS Trenton, bought from the USA | 22 June 2007 | Active; can embark over 1,000 troops; based at Visakhapatnam |
| INS Shardul (L16) | LST(L), Shardul class | GRSE, Kolkata | 4 January 2007 | Active; first ship commissioned at Karwar (INS Kadamba) |
| INS Kesari (L15) | LST(L), Shardul class | GRSE, Kolkata | 5 April 2008 | Active |
| INS Airavat (L24) | LST(L), Shardul class | GRSE, Kolkata | 19 May 2009 | Active |
| INS Gharial (L23) | LST, Magar class | Hindustan Shipyard / GRSE | 14 February 1997 | Active |
| INS Magar (L20) | LST, Magar class | Hindustan Shipyard / GRSE | 18 July 1987 | Decommissioned 6 May 2023 |
INS Kesari and India’s HADR missions
Large cargo decks make LSTs useful for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). INS Kesari has a strong record in this role.
- Mission Sagar (2020): The ship spent 55 days on a COVID relief deployment in the southern Indian Ocean. It called at Male (Maldives), Port Louis (Mauritius), Antsiranana (Madagascar), Moroni (Comoros) and Port Victoria (Seychelles) and delivered 580 tonnes of food aid plus medical stores. A 14-member naval medical team stayed in Mauritius and Comoros for 20 days each. The ship returned to Kochi on 28 June 2020. The Navy linked the mission to the Prime Minister’s SAGAR vision (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
- MH370 search (March 2014): Kesari joined the Indian Ocean search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.
- Other amphibious ships have done similar work. INS Jalashwa evacuated Indians from Libya in 2011 (Operation Safe Homecoming) and later sailed to Male during Operation Samudra Setu (2020).
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- Questions on shipbuilders are common: GRSE built the Shardul class and CSL built INS Vikrant. Know which shipyard built which ship.
- Mission Sagar, Operation Samudra Setu and the SAGAR doctrine come up in both current affairs and Indian Ocean geography questions.
- Terms such as LST, LPD and HADR, and the difference between them, are useful for defence GK and the SSB lecturette.
Practice MCQs
Q1. INS Kesari belongs to which class of ships?
(a) Magar class (b) Shardul class (c) Kamorta class (d) Austin class
Answer: (b) – It is the second of the three Shardul-class LSTs.
Q2. Which shipyard built INS Kesari?
(a) Cochin Shipyard (b) Mazagon Dock (c) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (d) Goa Shipyard
Answer: (c) – GRSE, Kolkata built all three Shardul-class ships.
Q3. Which Indian Navy amphibious ship was acquired from the United States?
(a) INS Airavat (b) INS Gharial (c) INS Jalashwa (d) INS Shardul
Answer: (c) – INS Jalashwa is the former USS Trenton.
Q4. During Mission Sagar in 2020, INS Kesari did NOT call at:
(a) Port Louis (b) Moroni (c) Colombo (d) Antsiranana
Answer: (c) – Its port calls were Male, Port Louis, Antsiranana, Moroni and Port Victoria.
Frequently asked questions
Why is INS Kesari in the news?
Water entered the ship on 31 October 2026 while it was berthed at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. The Eastern Naval Command reported no injuries, and the cause had not been made public by 1 November.
What type of ship is INS Kesari?
It is a Shardul-class Landing Ship Tank (Large) with pennant number L15. It can carry about 500 troops along with tanks and vehicles and land them directly on a beach.
When was INS Kesari commissioned?
On 5 April 2008, at Visakhapatnam. It moved to Port Blair under the Andaman and Nicobar Command in 2009.
What was INS Kesari’s role in Mission Sagar?
In 2020 it delivered 580 tonnes of food aid and medical stores to the Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles. It also sent medical teams to Mauritius and Comoros.
What are the other Shardul-class ships?
INS Shardul (L16) and INS Airavat (L24). Both were also built by GRSE, Kolkata.
Also read on NCA: Operation Sagar Bandhu | Monthly defence current affairs PDFs | NDA coaching in Chandigarh
Sources: The Pioneer, 1 Nov 2026, Indian Navy: Mission Sagar, Wikipedia: INS Kesari, Wikipedia: Shardul class, Wikipedia: Magar class, Wikipedia: INS Jalashwa. Facts as reported up to 2 November 2026.
Featured image background: Indian Navy / Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India.
