Visakhapatnam, Oct 6: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched Fleet Support Ship – 1 (FSS – 1), laid the keel of FSS-5 and also inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane at the Hindustan Shipyard Ltd here.
These milestones demonstrate India’s indigenous shipbuilding competencies, a PIB press release said.
The upgraded Slipway-4, with its extended length and enhanced load-bearing capability, supported by the goliath crane will enable the shipyard to build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 DWT.
This is a prominent expansion of the shipyard’s capacity to undertake large and complex platforms.
Likewise, FSS-1, the first of five fleet support ships being built for the Indian Navy, entered the waters of the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting, said the press release.
“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,” the release added. (PTI)
