Rajnath Singh launches India’s first fleet support ship ‘Surya’

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Fleet Support Ship-1 (FSS-1) ‘INS Surya’ at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam on October 7.

• Designed and built indigenously by HSL, the fleet support ships will feature enhanced cargo and fluid capacity, onboard first-line maintenance workshops, a helicopter deck for Multi-Role Helicopter operations and self-defence systems.

• With the fleet support ship programme, the vessels would strengthen the Navy’s reach, endurance and operational effectiveness in the Indian Ocean Region. 

• A Navy operating for extended periods in distant maritime areas requires not only warships but also logistics, maintenance, sustained support and operational endurance. 

• Fleet support ships provide this essential capability through at-sea replenishment and sustained support to naval operations. 

• The launch of FSS-1 Surya is an important step towards strengthening the Navy’s operational reach and endurance.

• The minister also laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship (FSS-5) and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and 300-tonne Goliath Crane at HSL. 

• The milestone is a significant step in strengthening HSL’s capacity to build larger and more complex ships and advancing India’s indigenous maritime capability.

• As part of enhanced infrastructure to support larger shipbuilding programmes, the upgraded Slipway-4 has been extended and strengthened to enable HSL to build and launch ships of up to 45,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage - the maximum weight a ship can safely carry).

• This is a prominent expansion of the shipyard’s capacity to undertake large and complex platforms.

• The new infrastructure will strengthen HSL’s ability to undertake larger and more complex shipbuilding programmes and support modern block construction.