Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched the first of five new fleet support ships and laid the keel of the last, marking several milestones at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam.
Singh sent FSS-1 into the Bay of Bengal 18 months after its steel was cut. Laila Swaminathan, president of the Navy Wives Welfare Association, performed the traditional ceremony and named the ship. Each vessel in the class displaces about 43,500 tonnes and is designed to replenish warships at sea, extending the navy’s endurance across the Indian Ocean.
Keel of FSS-5 laid, new facilities inaugurated
On the same morning, Singh laid the keel of FSS-5, the fifth ship of the series. Hindustan Shipyard said the twin events showed the programme moving into series production.
The defence minister also opened an upgraded Slipway-4, which can build and launch ships of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes, and a 300-tonne Goliath crane spanning Slipways 3 and 4. The crane was designed and built by L&T Geostructure with Konecranes under the Make in India programme.
“With the upgraded slipway and 300-tonne Goliath crane, HSL is ready to build larger, more complex ships,” Singh told the gathering. “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. Andhra Pradesh is poised to be a principal architect of India’s maritime future, and today we laid its keel.”
Also Read:CJP Allegations : Delhi Cop Asks Commissioner To Put Promotion On Hold
He added that every ship leaving the yard carried not only a name on its hull, but the name of Hindustan itself.
Two earlier deliveries
The events followed two earlier deliveries. INS Nistar, described by the yard as India’s first indigenously designed and built diving support vessel, with more than 80 per cent local content, was commissioned in July 2025 and has since remained at sea on operational duties. INS Nipun, the second of the class, joined the fleet on 30 August 2026. The yard said the minister’s visit came just five weeks after that commissioning.
Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, chief of the naval staff, attended the event, along with Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat Mathukumilli and Sanjeev Kumar, secretary for defence production.
Record year for the shipyard
Rear Admiral C Raghuram (retd), chairman and managing director of the shipyard, called the visit a moment of pride. “Two warships commissioned, a record year and now three milestones in a single day,” he said.
For 2025-26, the yard reported its highest-ever value of production at ₹1,969 crore, up 34 per cent, with total income of ₹2,295 crore and profit before tax of ₹479.47 crore.
Hindustan Shipyard builds and repairs ships and submarines for the navy and other national customers. Rajnath Singh described it as a pillar of India’s maritime strength.