STEEL CUTTING OF FIFTH FLEET SUPPORT SHIP FOR INDIAN NAVY

• Steel cutting is the formal commencement of warship construction; the 5th and final Fleet Support Ship (FSS) for the Indian Navy began construction at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam on 08 May 2026.
• FSS are >40,000 tonne displacement auxiliary vessels for at-sea replenishment of fuel, water, ammunition and stores, central to the Navy's blue-water (sustained ocean-going) posture.
• Exemplifies Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence shipbuilding — entire fleet built domestically under a ~₹19,000 crore order to a PSU shipyard.