Defence Minister Rajnath Singh To Launch Fleet Support Ship-1 In Visakhapatnam
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch Fleet Support Ship-1 (FSS-1) and lay the keel of Fleet Support Ship-5 (FSS-5) at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, today. He will also inaugurate the upgraded Slipway-4 and 300-tonne Goliath Crane. Ministry of Defence said that the upgraded Slipway-4, with its extended length and enhanced load-bearing capability, supported by the 300-tonne Goliath Crane, will enable the shipyard to build and launch vessels of up to 45 thousand deadweight tonnes, significantly expanding its capacity to undertake large and complex platforms.
It said that FSS-1, the first of five Fleet Support Ships being built for the Indian Navy, will enter the waters of the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting. These 43,500-tonne vessels will replenish warships at sea, extending the Navy’s endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region. The keel laying of FSS-5 will mark the programme’s steady march towards series production.
