<p data-path-to-node="2"><b data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="0">VISAKHAPATNAM —</b> In a major boost to India's blue-water maritime reach and sovereign shipbuilding capabilities, state-owned defense and commercial shipbuilder Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has formally launched the Indian Navy’s first indigenously constructed Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), named <i data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="296">Surya</i>, into the Bay of Bengal at its shipyard in Visakhapatnam.</p><p data-path-to-node="3">The launch ceremony, led by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh alongside senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and the Indian Navy, marks an operational inflection point for domestic heavy naval engineering. During the same ceremony, the keel was officially laid for the fifth ship of the class (FSS-5), while modernized yard infrastructure—including the extended Slipway-4 and an indigenously installed 300-tonne Goliath gantry crane—was formally dedicated to support vessels up to 45,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT).</p><p data-path-to-node="4">Displacing approximately 43,500 to 45,000 tonnes at full load, with an overall length of nearly 230 meters and a beam exceeding 31 meters, the FSS series represents the largest and heaviest class of logistics platforms ever fabricated in an Indian yard. Built under a ₹19,000-crore mega-acquisition program for five vessels executed between HSL and private manufacturing partner Larsen &amp; Toubro (L&amp;T) at Kattupalli, the class achieves an indigenous content requirement exceeding 80%, providing a domestic alternative to legacy foreign procurement channels.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">The primary mission profile of the FSS class centers on underway replenishment (UNREP) and oceanic logistics support. Operating as high-endurance floating supply centers, each vessel is engineered to transfer marine fuels, aviation turbine fuel, fresh water, critical propulsion spares, guided ammunition, and containerized dry and refrigerated provisions directly to forward-deployed carrier strike groups and frontline naval task forces at open sea. Fitted with dual heavy-duty replenishment-at-sea (RAS) and fueling-at-sea (FAS) mast systems along both port and starboard sides, the ship can simultaneously service multiple combatants while underway at high cruising speeds.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">The ship is powered by twin MAN 20V32/44CR electronically managed medium-speed marine diesel engines driving controllable pitch propellers through integrated reduction gearboxes, delivering speeds in excess of 20 knots and an unrefueled operational cruising range of over 12,000 nautical miles. The machinery architecture integrates domestic shaft generators manufactured in India, while the outfitting includes comprehensive aviation facilities capable of operating and hangaring medium-lift helicopters such as the HAL Dhruv for vertical replenishment (VERTREP) and casualty evacuation missions.</p><p data-path-to-node="7">Senior defense officials and maritime administrators highlighted that indigenously fabricating mega-sealift and replenishment hulls establishes vital supply chain resilience across the Indian Ocean Region. By extending fleet endurance without forcing combatant vessels to depend on foreign anchorages or commercial fuel ports during critical regional deployments, the program directly reinforces India's maritime self-reliance and security posture under the <i data-path-to-node="7" data-index-in-node="458">Aatmanirbhar Bharat</i> and <i data-path-to-node="7" data-index-in-node="482">Maritime Amrit Kaal</i> roadmaps.</p><p data-path-to-node="8">With waterborne outfitting and basin integration trials now underway on <i data-path-to-node="8" data-index-in-node="72">Surya</i>, builder trials are slated to progress systematically toward formal naval commissioning by mid-2027.</p>