New Delhi, Oct. 6 -- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today launched the first indigenous Fleet Support Ship (FSS-1), named INS Surya, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in a major step towards enhancing the Indian Navy's operational reach and strengthening the country's indigenous shipbuilding capability.

During his visit to HSL, Singh also laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship (FSS-5) and inaugurated the upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane, marking a simultaneous expansion of the shipyard's infrastructure and capacity to undertake larger and more complex naval shipbuilding programmes.

Addressing the gathering, Singh said the three milestones represented different dimensions of India'...