HSL launches 1st fleet support ship, lays keel for 5th vessel

New Delhi/Visakhapatnam: Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has launched the first of the Fleet Support Ships (FSS-1), marking a significant milestone in the indigenous shipbuilding programme being undertaken for the Indian Navy.

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FSS-1 was launched at HSL’s Visakhapatnam facility on October 6 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The launch ceremony was conducted by Laila Swaminathan, President of the Navy Welfare & Wellness Association (NWWA), in accordance with naval traditions.

The event also marked the keel laying of FSS-5, the fifth vessel in the Fleet Support Ship series. The Defence Minister also inaugurated HSL’s augmented slipway, a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at strengthening the shipyard’s shipbuilding capabilities.

The Fleet Support Ships are being indigenously designed and built by HSL with more than 82 percent indigenous content. The programme involves collaboration among the Indian Navy, HSL, defence industries and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supporting the government’s focus on domestic defence manufacturing.

Once inducted into the Indian Navy, the Fleet Support Ships will provide at-sea replenishment support to fleet vessels, strengthening the Navy’s operational logistics and enhancing its strategic reach and mobility.

The ships will also have secondary capabilities for undertaking Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO). These capabilities will enable the vessels to support the delivery of relief material and evacuation of personnel during emergencies.

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The Fleet Support Ship programme is expected to contribute to the growth of India’s domestic shipbuilding ecosystem and reinforce the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives in the defence sector.

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