Overview
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the launch at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday and also laid the keel for the fifth Fleet Support Ship while opening an upgraded slipway and a 300‑tonne Goliath crane.
- Surya is a 43,500‑tonne fleet support ship built to refuel and resupply warships at sea with diesel, aviation fuel, fresh water and stores and to provide first‑line workshops and a helicopter deck for sustained at‑sea operations.
- HSL says Surya carries roughly 20,000 tonnes of diesel, 2,500 tonnes of aviation fuel and about 1,000 tonnes of fresh water, has a top speed of about 20 knots and a crew complement near 215 for missions of up to 60 days.
- The upgraded Slipway‑4 and 300‑tonne crane increase HSL’s covered dock capacity and let the yard build and launch vessels up to about 45,000 DWT while supporting modular block construction for faster series production.
- The five‑ship programme, valued at roughly ₹19,000–19,500 crore, is reported to be about 82% indigenous and follows HSL’s recent operational recovery and Miniratna‑I status with prior deliveries such as indigenous diving support vessels, giving the Navy greater endurance and HADR/evacuation capability across the Indian Ocean Region.