Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched 'Surya', India's first indigenously designed and built Fleet Support Ship, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. The 43,500-tonne vessel entered the waters of the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting. At the same ceremony, Singh laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship, FSS-5, and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane at the yard. The five-ship programme will give the Navy at-sea replenishment capability, letting warships stay deployed longer across the Indian Ocean Region. The ships feature enhanced cargo and fluid-carrying capacity, onboard maintenance workshops, a helicopter deck and self-defence systems. The upgraded slipway can now build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes. Singh said the FSS-1 launch was 'a symbol of achievement', the FSS-5 keel laying 'a symbol of resolve', and the new slipway 'a symbol of our growing capability'. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan attended the event.