Indian Navy Launches First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship For Extended Deployments

India has launched its first indigenously built Fleet Support Ship, giving the Navy a 43,500-tonne vessel that can refuel and resupply several warships at sea and support longer deployments across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the ship, named Surya, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam on October 6. He also laid the keel for the fifth and final ship in the five-vessel Fleet Support Ship programme.

The five ships are being built under a Rs 19,000-crore contract with 82% indigenous content. They are designed to carry fuel, water, ammunition, stores and other supplies to warships and submarines operating far from their home ports. This will allow naval vessels to remain at sea for longer without returning to harbour for supplies.

The Indian Navy currently operates four fleet tankers. INS Shakti and INS Jyoti are deployed on the eastern coast under the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, while INS Deepak and INS Aditya operate on the western coast.

Fleet Support Ships can transfer supplies to other vessels while at sea. Supplies can be transferred alongside another ship, from the stern or by helicopter. The ships can support several vessels at the same time, helping a carrier battle group or surface action group remain at sea for longer.

Surya is 223.6 metres long and 31.5 metres wide, with a draught of 9.3 metres. It has a displacement of about 43,500 tonnes and a top speed of 20 knots.

The ship can carry 20,000 tonnes of low-sulphur high-speed diesel, 2,500 tonnes of aviation turbine fuel, 1,000 tonnes of fresh water and 250 tonnes of feed water.

It can also carry up to eight 20-foot containers, each with a volume of 32.6 cubic metres. These containers can be used to carry ammunition, spare parts and provisions.

Surya has onboard workshops for first-line maintenance and emergency repairs for itself and the warships it supports.

The Fleet Support Ships are designed for 60-day missions and “out of area” operations across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.

They will have self-defence systems against missiles, torpedoes and mines. The ships will also have a helicopter deck certified for medium-role helicopter operations up to Sea State 5.

Surya uses a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system with a single shaft and controllable pitch propellers.

The ships are designed to provide logistics support to naval forces operating for extended periods in distant maritime areas. They can carry fuel, lubricants, stores, food and personnel and transfer them to warships and submarines at sea.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Fleet Support Ships will replenish warships at sea and extend the Navy’s endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region.

The five vessels will also have enhanced cargo and fluid capacity, first-line maintenance workshops, helicopter decks for Multi-Role Helicopter operations and self-defence systems.

In a secondary role, they can be used for Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) to deliver relief material and evacuate personnel.

Singh said the five-ship programme would strengthen the Navy’s reach, endurance and operational effectiveness in the Indian Ocean Region. He said extended naval operations in distant maritime areas require not only warships but also logistics, maintenance and sustained support.

During the ceremony, Singh also inaugurated HSL’s newly modernised Slipway No. 4 and a 300-tonne Goliath crane.

The upgraded slipway is 235 metres long and 37.5 metres wide. HSL said the improvements increase its covered building dock capacity to 80,000 DWT and allow the shipyard to build naval platforms of up to 45,000 DWT.

The 300-tonne Goliath crane was designed and manufactured by L&T Geostructure with Konecranes under the Make in India programme.

The Ministry of Defence said the new infrastructure would strengthen HSL’s ability to undertake larger and more complex shipbuilding programmes and support modern block construction.

HSL was established in 1941 as Scindia Shipyard and incorporated as Hindustan Shipyard Limited in 1952. The company describes itself as India’s first greenfield shipyard.

Over eight decades, HSL has built 203 ships, completed 2,045 ship repairs and refitted six submarines.

The shipyard has a 142-acre main yard, a 25-acre factory extension and a 457-metre outfitting jetty with a 10-metre depth.

Its steel stockyard can hold 30,000 tonnes. Its hull and prefabrication shops have CNC plasma and oxyacetylene cutting machines, rolling and bending machinery, automatic and semi-automatic welding systems and 300-tonne block handling capacity.

HSL said the modernisation is intended to equip the yard to build and repair larger naval vessels and submarines.

The keel for the fifth and final Fleet Support Ship was laid at the same ceremony in Visakhapatnam.

The five ships are being built under a single contract with 82% indigenous content. HSL is using integrated modular construction to reduce build times while meeting naval specifications.

The launch of Surya does not mean that the ship has entered operational service. The source said final fitment and trials are expected to take eight to 10 months before the vessel can be inducted into the naval fleet.

As per maritime tradition, Surya was launched by Laila Swaminathan, president of the Navy Wives Wellness Association (NWWA).

The ceremony was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral C. Raghuram, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and Roads and Buildings Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy, among others.

References: Tribune India, The Hindu