Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched Surya, India’s first indigenous fleet support ship (FSS), at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd in Visakhapatnam, the first of five such vessels being built at a cost of ₹ 19,000 crore to boost the navy’s reach and endurance.
“India needs strong maritime capability. Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan was present. Singh also laid the keel of another fleet support ship and inaugurated an upgraded slipway and a 300-tonne crane at the public sector yard.
Our goal is to go beyond self-reliance and become a global maritime power,” said Singh. The defence ministry said the milestone is a significant step in strengthening HSL’s capacity to build larger and more complex ships and advancing India’s maritime capability. “The launch of FSS-1 (Surya) is a symbol of achievement, keel laying of FSS-5 is a symbol of resolve and the new slipway is a symbol of our growing capability…Our goal should be to design better, build faster, and deliver on time,” he said.
The slipway-4 has been extended and strengthened to enable HSL to build and launch ships of up to 45,000 DWT, the defence ministry said. The 300-tonne Goliath crane spanning slipways 3 and 4 will enable faster and more precise handling of heavier blocks for modern block construction, the ministry added.
“Self-reliance is an important milestone, but global competitiveness is the next big leap,” said Singh, underscoring that Indian shipyards must meet global benchmarks on quality, cost, technology, delivery, and reliability. “The new infrastructure will strengthen HSL’s ability to undertake larger and more complex shipbuilding programmes and support modern block construction.”
