Surya can carry fuel, fresh water and supplies to ships at sea. Hindustan Shipyard also laid the keel for the series’ fifth vessel and opened an upgraded slipway and 300-tonne crane.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Surya, the country’s first domestically built fleet support ship, on October 6. The ceremony took place at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. Singh also laid the keel for the fifth ship in the series, FSS-5, and inaugurated an upgraded Slipway No. 4 and a 300-tonne Goliath crane. The Hindu, the Economic Times and India’s Press Information Bureau reported the event.
Surya is 223.6 metres long and 31.5 metres wide, with a displacement of about 43,500 tonnes. It can reach 20 knots and is designed for missions lasting up to 60 days. According to the shipyard, it can carry 20,000 tonnes of low-sulphur high-speed diesel, 2,500 tonnes of aviation fuel, 1,000 tonnes of fresh water and 250 tonnes of feed water, as well as up to eight 20-foot containers.
Fleet support ships deliver fuel, lubricants, food, stores and personnel to vessels and submarines far from their home ports. Supplies can be transferred alongside, from the stern or by helicopter, allowing naval groups to remain deployed for longer. Surya also has workshops for first-line maintenance and emergency repairs.
All five ships are being built under a single contract with 82 per cent indigenous content, according to the government. Hindustan Shipyard used integrated modular construction. The upgraded slipway is 235 metres long and 37.5 metres wide. The shipyard said the modernisation will expand its covered construction capacity and allow it to build naval platforms of up to 45,000 tonnes displacement.