Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched the Indian Navy’s first Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), named Surya, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam. On the same occasion, he laid the keel of the fifth ship of the class (FSS-5) and inaugurated an upgraded Slipway-4 along with a 300-tonne Goliath Crane.

Surya is the first of five 43,500-tonne fleet support ships being built indigenously by HSL for the Navy. The ship entered the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting. Launch honours were performed by Laila Swaminathan, president of the Navy Wives Welfare Association. The Navy contracted HSL in August 2023, and deliveries are expected to begin from mid-2027.

The vessels will replenish deployed warships with fuel, water, ammunition and stores, extending the fleet’s endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region. The upgraded Slipway-4 and the Goliath Crane will let the yard build and launch ships of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes. Addressing the gathering, Singh said the launch was a symbol of achievement, the keel-laying a symbol of resolve, and the new slipway a symbol of growing capability.