India’s Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) launched the Indian Navy’s first Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), Surya, on October 6, 2026, at a ceremony attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as the chief guest.
HSL also laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship (FSS-5) on October 6, 2026. The company also inaugurated several upgraded facilities, including an upgraded slipway and a 300-tonne Goliath crane, as part of efforts by India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to enhance the performance of the state-owned shipyard in Visakhapatnam, the country’s naval hub.
The upgraded slipway will enable HSL to build and launch ships of up to 45,000 DWT. Meanwhile, the Kone Goliath crane, designed and manufactured by L&T Geostructure, will be used for the precise handling of heavier blocks during modern block construction. L&T’s shipbuilding arm is also a major subcontractor for the FSS program, building components for two ships under a contract with HSL.
FSS-1 is expected to be inducted in mid-2027. The contract for five ships was inked in August 2023 and the keel of FSS-1 was laid in November 2024.
The Fleet Support Ships are intended to provide at-sea replenishment and sustained logistical support to naval operations. Designed and built indigenously by HSL, the ships will feature enhanced cargo and fluid capacity, onboard first-line maintenance workshops, a helicopter deck capable of supporting Multi-Role Helicopter operations, and self-defence systems.
Once commissioned, the FSS will become the largest class of vessels in the Indian Navy by displacement, exceeding even the service’s aircraft carriers. The ships will be equipped with systems supplied by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), including a Combat Management System, communications systems, and electronic warfare systems. BEL signed a contract for these systems in 2023.
HSL designed the FSS with SEDS serving as the prime consultant. Although Türkiye’s TAIS was initially intended to serve as the design partner in the late 2010s, deteriorating relations between India and Türkiye put the planned foreign design partnership on hold.
The specifications of the Surya class FSS, as reported earlier by Naval News, are as follows:
- Length: 222.8 m
- Width: 31.5 m
- Draught: 9.5 m
- Complement: 214
- Range: 12,000 nm at 16 knots, 9,000 nm at 20 knots
