HSL Vizag Launches India’s First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship

Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Vizag, began as Scindia Shipyard in 1941, when industrialist Walchand Hirachand sought to build ships locally rather than rely on UK-built vessels. Dr Rajendra Prasad laid the foundation stone on June 21, 1941, and the shipyard’s landmark moment came on March 14, 1948, with the launch of SS Jala Usha, the first steamship built in the Indian subcontinent after World War II. 

In 85 years, HSL has progressed from producing a single steamship to indigenous warships, diving support vessels and Fleet Support Ships. 

Today, on 6 October 2026, the shipyard has entered a new chapter, as Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made his maiden visit to mark three significant milestones: new capacity for ship-building, the launch of India’s first indigenous Fleet Support Ship, ‘Surya’, and a keel-laying for the next one.

Scaling at the Speed of the Nation’s Needs

Over the past fifteen months, HSL has already been delivering one milestone after another. In July 2025, it commissioned INS Nistar, India’s first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel, with over 80% indigenous content and capabilities not found in any previous naval Diving Support Vessel worldwide. On 30 August 2026, the second Diving Support Vessel, INS Nipun, joined the fleet, strengthening the Navy’s deep-sea diving and submarine rescue capability. 

Three New Milestones Make The List

The launch of three more breakthroughs today added to HSL’s proud achievements. These include an upgraded Slipway-4, supported by a 300-tonne Goliath Crane built under Make in India by M/s L&T Geostructure with Konecranes, which now enables the shipyard to build and launch ships of up to 45,000 DWT.

FSS-1, named ‘Surya,’ the first of five Fleet Support Ships being built for the Indian Navy, is also entering the waters of the Bay of Bengal today, 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.

Lastly, the keel laying of FSS-5 then marked HSL’s steady march towards producing the rest of the ships in the series.

Commenting on the latest developments, Rear Admiral C Raghuram, VSM (Retd.), Chairman & Managing Director, HSL, said, “Two warships commissioned, a record year and now three milestones in a single day. From our best-ever year to this historic day, every milestone reflects a shipyard rising to the nation’s call, and 6th October marks our next leap forward.”

Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “HSL is strengthening India’s maritime foundation as a national custodian of the country’s maritime capabilities. Together with the Naval Dockyard and the Port, it anchors Vizag’s maritime ecosystem, reflecting the expertise and engineering talent of our workforce. Fleet support will further advance our vision for the Indian Ocean, given its economic, energy and national security significance. From today, HSL must prepare for the Indian Navy’s requirements in the years ahead, while Vizag must prepare for the maritime industry India will need in the future.”

Looking back at how far HSL has come, the contrast is striking. What began with a steamship built in the early years of independent India has grown into a modern defence shipyard, capable of taking on increasingly complex vessels and infrastructure. Today, the story of HSL is no longer just about its past, but about how the shipbuilding legacy in Vizag is scaling up to meet the demands of the future. 

Also read: Hindustan Shipyard: The origins of shipbuilding in Vizag

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