Rajnath Singh Launches 'Surya', the Indian Navy's First Fleet Support Ship, at Hindustan Shipyard

6 October 2026National

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Surya, the first of five Fleet Support Ships being built for the Indian Navy, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, on 6 October 2026, the vessel entering the Bay of Bengal in a ceremony where Laila Swaminathan, president of the Navy Wives Welfare Association, performed the launch. Displacing about 43,500 tonnes, the ship will replenish fuel, water, ammunition and stores to warships at sea and operate helicopters, extending the fleet's endurance without returning to harbour. HSL upgraded Slipway-4 and installed a 300-tonne Goliath crane for the programme, and has subcontracted two of the ships to L&T's Kattupalli yard.

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Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam was founded in 1941 as Scindia Shipyard and was transferred to the Ministry of Defence in 2010 | The Indian Navy's motto is 'Sham No Varunah' and Navy Day is observed on 4 December | Fleet Support Ships are also called fleet replenishment tankers; the Navy's existing ones include INS Deepak and INS Shakti

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