Surya, the first indigenous Fleet Support Ship
06-10-2026 · English
Topics: Defence · 6 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
On 6 October 2026 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched and dedicated to the nation Surya, the Indian Navy's first indigenous Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan attended; Laila Swaminathan, President of the Navy Wives Welfare Association, named the ship.
Key facts
| Ship | Surya (FSS-1), first of a five-ship series |
| Size | About 43,500 tonnes |
| Role | Supplying warships at sea with fuel, water, ammunition and stores (replenishment at sea) |
| Features | Multi-role helicopter deck, repair workshops, self-defence systems |
| Contract | August 2023, about ₹19,000 crore, five ships, HSL |
Background
- Blue-water navy: support ships let a navy operate far from port for long periods and help India act as the first responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- Earlier support ships: INS Deepak and INS Shakti (built in Italy), INS Jyoti (Russia), INS Aditya (GRSE). The new FSS will replace them.
- HSL: founded in 1941 by Walchand Hirachand for the Scindia Steam Navigation Company; first ship Jala Usha (1948); nationalised 1961; under the Defence Ministry since 2010; Miniratna-I in 2025.
- Atmanirbhar Bharat: most new Indian Navy ships are now built in Indian shipyards.
Tamil Nadu link: The L&T shipyard at Kattupalli near Chennai builds Navy and Coast Guard vessels. The name Surya means the Sun; the Chola navy (Rajendra Chola's Kadaram expedition, 1025) shows Tamil Nadu's long seafaring tradition.
Source: SSBCrack (6 Oct 2026); The News Mill (6 Oct 2026)
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