Surgeon Commander Divya Gautam takes over command of INHS Kalyani

New Delhi: On November 13, Surgeon Commander Diviya Gautam took over as head of the Naval Hospital in Visakhapatnam, INHS Kalyani.

She has served on a naval vessel and the US Navy Hospital Ship Mercy, according to an official statement.

According to the statement, she also served as the Eastern and Western Fleets’ Commanding Officer, INHS Kasturi, Fleet Medical Officer, and Officer-in-Charge of Fleet Medical Center.

Another event was the ‘Keel Laying’ ceremony on Thursday at Hindustan Shipyard, Limited, Visakhapatnam, for the first of the five Fleet Support Ships (FSS).

Vice Admiral B Siva Kumar, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition, presided over the event in front of the Chairman & Managing Director of HSL as well as other high-ranking representatives from the Indian Navy and HSL. In August 2023, the Indian Navy and HSL inked an agreement for the purchase of five Fleet Support Ships. According to a Ministry of Defense statement, the ships would be handed to the Indian Navy starting in the middle of 2027.

With the introduction of the Fleet Support Ships, the Indian Navy’s ‘Blue Water’ capabilities will be strengthened by replenishing fleet ships overseas.

“The ships, with more than 40,000 tons of displacement, will carry and deliver fuel, water, ammunition and stores, enabling prolonged operations without returning to harbour, thus enhancing the Fleet’s strategic reach and mobility,” the press announcement said.

In a secondary capacity, these vessels would be outfitted for disaster relief and humanitarian aid missions, enabling prompt delivery of relief supplies to the scene of natural disasters and people’s evacuation in emergency scenarios.

This shipbuilding project, which is in line with the GoI’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, and Make for the World objectives, would strengthen the Indian shipbuilding industry by using indigenous design and purchasing the bulk of the equipment from domestic producers.