Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched the Indian Navy’s first Fleet Support Ship, FSS-1, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, and laid the keel of the fifth vessel in the series.
The launch took place on 6 October 2026. The 43,500-tonne ship is the lead vessel of a five-ship programme intended to replenish warships at sea and extend the Navy’s endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region. Contemporary reports identified the ship as Surya. The Ministry of Defence had stated that FSS-1 would enter the waters of the Bay of Bengal 18 months after steel cutting.
Launch, keel laying and yard upgrades
At the same ceremony, the Raksha Mantri laid the keel of FSS-5 and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath crane. The extended slipway, with greater load-bearing capacity and supported by the new crane, will enable HSL to build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes.
The Ministry described the events as a demonstration of indigenous shipbuilding capacity and said the keel laying of FSS-5 marked the programme’s progress towards series production. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, and Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar attended, among others.
Addressing the ceremony, Singh said keel laying symbolised resolve and the new slipway symbolised growing capacity, and that the combined milestones would strengthen the foundation of India’s maritime power. He had attended a Barakhana organised by the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Monday evening and interacted with naval personnel and their families.
Role of the Fleet Support Ships
The ships are designed to replenish fleet units at sea with fuel, water, ammunition and stores, allowing task groups to remain deployed for longer periods without returning to harbour. In a secondary role, they are intended for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and for non-combatant evacuation.
The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with HSL on 25 August 2023 for five Fleet Support Ships at an overall cost of about ₹19,000 crore, after approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security on 16 August 2023. The ships are indigenously designed, with the majority of equipment sourced from domestic manufacturers. At the time of the contract, the vessels were described as about 44,000 tonnes and as the first of their kind to be built in India by an Indian shipyard. The October 2026 official release places displacement at 43,500 tonnes.
The Indian Navy has stated that deliveries are scheduled to commence from mid-2027. Steel cutting of the fifth and last ship was held at HSL on 8 May 2026. Two ships of the class are being constructed at Larsen & Toubro’s Kattupalli shipyard under the programme.
Strategic significance
Induction of the class is intended to strengthen the Navy’s blue-water logistics, particularly for sustained operations across the Indian Ocean Region. The ships will supplement the existing replenishment fleet, which includes INS Aditya and the Deepak-class tankers INS Deepak and INS Shakti.
The upgraded slipway and Goliath crane also expand HSL’s ability to undertake larger and more complex platforms, aligning the yard’s infrastructure with the scale of the Fleet Support Ship programme and with the broader push for indigenous naval construction.
