Indian Navy commissions first indigenous diving support vessel 'INS Nistar'

Hyderabad: The Indian Navy on Friday commissioned the first indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel, INS Nistar, into the service in the presence of union minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth in Visakhapatnam.

The ship, which is the first of the two Diving Support Vessels being built by Visakhapatnam based Hindustan Shipyard Limited, can undertake complex deep sea saturation diving and rescue operations – a capability select Navies possess across the globe. With participation of 120 MSMEs and incorporating over 80% indigenous content, INS Nistar is being viewed as a statement to India's ability to build complex ships at par with international standards.

Sanjay Seth described the induction of INS Nistar as a technological leap and a milestone in the Indian shipbuilding chapter towards building a future ready force. He lauded the Indian Navy and the indigenous shipbuilding industry for their sustained efforts in consistently enhancing the indigenous content in warships through homegrown solutions and innovative technologies. He stated that the commissioning of INS Nistar firmly reinforces the role of the Indian Navy as the ‘First Responder’ and ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the region.

The indigenous shipbuilding Industry has been one of the pillars of the Government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign. At present, all of the 57 new warships in the pipeline are being constructed indigenously. Sanjay Seth expressed confidence in the capabilities of the Armed Forces, stating that India stands committed and resolute to tackle any form of misadventure from its adversaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi termed INS Nistar as not just a technological asset, but a crucial operational enabler.

“Nistar will provide critical submarine rescue support to the Indian Navy as well as our regional partners. This will enable India to emerge as a ‘Preferred Submarine Rescue Partner’ in this region. The commissioning of Nistar is testimony to the growing capability and maturity of our maritime industrial base, and another shining example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” he said.

INS Nistar is installed with state-of-the-art Diving Equipment such as Remotely Operated Vehicles, Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Life Boat, Diving Compression Chambers. It can undertake diving and salvage operations upto 300m depth. It would also serve as the ‘Mother Ship’ for deep submergence rescue vessel to rescue and evacuate personnel, from a dived submarine in distress well below the surface.

The commissioning of the 118m ship, with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, upholds the Indian Navy’s resolve towards continuously strengthening its maritime capabilities in the Underwater Domain.