INS Surya
INS Surya (pennant number FSS-1) is the lead ship of the Surya-class fleet support ships (FSS) being constructed for the Indian Navy. Designed and built by Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, Surya is the Indian Navy's first indigenously designed and constructed 44,000-tonne Fleet Support Ship.
The primary purpose of Surya is underway replenishment (UNREP)—supplying frontline combatants with liquid fuel, fresh water, solid ammunition, and provisions while at sea—thereby significantly extending the operational reach and endurance of Indian Navy carrier strike groups and task forces in the Indian Ocean Region.
History
Background and Acquisition
In August 2023, the Ministry of Defence signed a ₹19,000-crore contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited for the acquisition of five Fleet Support Ships to meet the expanding logistical demands of a blue-water navy. Under a dual-yard construction setup, HSL subcontracted two of the five vessels to Larsen & Toubro's Kattupalli Shipyard. The project achieves approximately 82% indigenous content.
Construction and Launch
The keel of Surya was laid at HSL's Slipway-4 on 14 November 2024. The vessel was officially launched into the waters of the Bay of Bengal on 6 October 2026 by Laila Swaminathan, President of the Navy Wives Wellness Association (NWWA), in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The launch coincided with the inauguration of HSL's upgraded Slipway-4 and a new 300-tonne Goliath crane manufactured under the "Make in India" initiative to support vessels up to 45,000 DWT.
Design and Capabilities
Characteristics
Surya has a displacement of approximately 44,000 tonnes, a length of , and a beam of . It is designed with an operational unrefueled range of at and a continuous operational endurance of 60 days.
Payload and Facilities
- **Underway Replenishment:** Equipped with dual-side heavy liquid and solid replenishment-at-sea (RAS) rigs capable of transferring low-sulphur high-speed diesel, aviation turbine fuel (ATF), fresh water, and solid munitions simultaneously to multiple warships.
- **Maintenance & Repair:** Includes onboard first-line engineering and technical repair workshops to perform afloat maintenance on frontline warships.
- **Medical Facilities:** Feature dedicated surgical suites, intensive care units (ICU), and casualty wards to support HADR operations and non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO).
- **Aviation:** Flight deck and hangar facilities designed for vertical replenishment (VERTREP) operations utilizing medium multi-role helicopters.
See also
- Surya-class fleet support ship
- List of active Indian Navy ships
- Future of the Indian Navy