Rajnath Singh launches first indigenous Fleet Support Ship ‘INS Surya’ (Photo: X/rajnathsingh)
New Delhi: Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) marked three milestones in a single morning at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. It launched FSS-1, the first of its five Fleet Support Ships for the Indian Navy, laid the keel of the fifth ship, FSS-5, and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane. The upgraded slipway lets HSL build and launch ships of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led all three events during his maiden visit to the shipyard.
The launch: FSS-1 enters the water
Eighteen months after its steel was first cut, FSS-1 floated. HSL launched the first of its five Fleet Support Ships at Visakhapatnam, with Singh performing the launch. The ship is a 43,500-tonne vessel. It entered the waters of the Bay of Bengal after Smt. Laila Swaminathan, President of the Navy Wives Wellness Association, performed the traditional honours and named it, HSL said in a press note. The note described a "thunderous cheer" from the people gathered.
The 18-month clock
HSL put a number on the build. In a note dated 4 October, it said FSS-1 would enter the water "just 18 months after steel cutting". The 6 October note confirmed the launch had happened. The clock starts at the first cut of steel and stops at the launch. It does not include the earlier design work, which HSL said it carried out itself. The shipyard said the Fleet Support Ships are designed and built indigenously. Nor does it include the fitting-out that normally follows a launch, and the note did not describe that stage or give a delivery date to the Navy.
What a Fleet Support Ship does
Warships carry only so much fuel and stores. A supply ship that can meet them at sea lets them stay on station without a trip to port. HSL said the Fleet Support Ships will replenish warships at sea, extending the Navy's endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region.
The press note listed what the class carries and does. It has enhanced capacity for cargo and fluids. It has onboard first-line maintenance workshops, so some repairs can be done on the ship itself. It has a helicopter deck for Multi-Role Helicopter operations. And it has what HSL called robust self-defence systems. HSL did not give cargo quantities, the type of self-defence systems, the helicopters the deck is meant for or the crew size.
The keel: one ship of five
FSS-1 is the lead ship of what Raghuram called HSL's flagship Fleet Support Ship programme. The keel of the fifth, FSS-5, was laid the same morning, and HSL said the two events showed a steady march towards series production. Between them sit three ships whose progress the note did not describe.
"The launch of FSS-1 and keel laying of FSS-5 show Aatmanirbharta taking shape in steel, extending our Navy's reach across the Indian Ocean," Singh said. HSL has not said whether the Navy will carry out trials on FSS-1 at Visakhapatnam or elsewhere, or when.
The slipway and the crane: room to build bigger
The launch shared the programme with the keel laying of FSS-5 and the inauguration of the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane. The note did not say which slipway FSS-1 was built on, or whether the upgraded Slipway-4 had any part in its construction.
"With the upgraded Slipway and 300-tonne Goliath Crane, HSL is ready to build larger, more complex ships," Singh said.
Singh appreciated HSL for the historic milestones, describing the shipyard as a pillar of India's maritime strength. He also spoke about the name of the yard. Every ship leaving HSL, he said, carries not just a name on its hull, but the name of Hindustan itself. "Andhra Pradesh is poised to be a principal architect of India's maritime future, and today we laid its keel," he said.
Rear Admiral C Raghuram, VSM (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director of HSL, called the visit "a moment of immense pride and inspiration for every member of HSL". He went on to credit HSL's employees, the Navy and its business partners for the day.
"Today's milestones reflect the dedication of our employees, the trust of the Indian Navy and the support of our business partners," he said. "With enhanced infrastructure and our flagship Fleet Support Ship programme in full stride, HSL stands ready to deliver next-generation ships for the nation and for the world."
