Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the Indian Navy’s first Fleet Support Ship on October 6 at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam.

The ship, called FSS-1, is the first of five fleet support ships being built for the Navy. Singh will also lay the keel of the fifth ship, FSS-5, and inaugurate upgraded shipyard facilities.

FSS-1 weighs 43,500 tonnes. It will enter the waters of the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting began. These large vessels carry fuel, water, ammunition and supplies. They refuel and resupply warships at sea so the ships can stay deployed longer.

The upgraded Slipway-4 and a new 300-tonne Goliath crane will let the shipyard build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes. This expands India’s ability to build large and complex ships at home.

The keel laying of FSS-5 marks the programme’s move toward series production. Senior officials, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the Chief of Naval Staff, will attend the event.