Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called for a strong and integrated maritime ecosystem for India to further enhance its maritime power and strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.
“Indian Navy has always been a first responder and preferred security partner in the region. Addressing the gathering after launched Fleet Support Ship-1, laid the keel for Fleet Support Ship-5 and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, Singh said the Indian Navy had repeatedly demonstrated its capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region. He said the launch of Fleet Support Ship-1, keel laying of Fleet Support Ship-5 and inauguration of upgraded infrastructure at HSL marked an important step in strengthening India’s maritime capabilities. The 43,500-tonne vessel is the lead ship in a five-ship series designed to refuel and resupply warships at sea, helping Navy task groups stay deployed longer across the Indian Ocean Region. The keel laying of FSS-5 will mark the programme’s steady march towards series production,” it said.
It played an important role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, anti-piracy operations, evacuation missions and maritime security,” Singh said. He said Fleet Support Ship-1, named “Surya,” would strengthen the Indian Navy’s reach, endurance and operational effectiveness. He said the new slipway and Goliath crane at HSL will further enhance the shipyard’s capacity to undertake large shipbuilding projects. Singh said the Indian Navy, HSL, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), industry, MSMEs and start-ups need to work together as an integrated team to build a strong national maritime ecosystem. He said India had considerable potential to emerge as a major shipbuilding nation but stressed that the country now needed to translate this potential into industrial capability and global competitiveness.
