Hyderabad, Oct. 7 -- Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called for a strong and integrated maritime ecosystem for India to further enhance its maritime power and strengthen the country's defence capabilities.

Addressing the gathering after launched Fleet Support Ship-1, laid the keel for Fleet Support Ship-5 and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, Singh said the Indian Navy had repeatedly demonstrated its capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region.

"Indian Navy has always been a first responder and preferred security partner in the region. It played an important role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, anti-piracy operatio...