Indian Navy in elite club: With 'Nistar', India now among top submarine rescue powers

In a move that places the Indian Navy alongside a select group of global naval forces, the country’s first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV), named Nistar, was delivered by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) to the Navy at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. 

 

With this, the Indian Navy gains an advanced underwater rescue and deep-sea diving capability comparable to only a few navies around the world, according to the defence ministry. "The ship is highly specialised and can undertake deep sea diving and rescue Operations – a capability with select navies across the globe," the ministry said.

 

Designed and built under the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), the 118-metre-long, 10,000-tonne vessel has been equipped with cutting-edge diving systems and is capable of undertaking deep sea saturation diving missions up to a depth of 300 metres.

 

Nistar also features a side diving stage for operations up to 75 metres.

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The vessel will serve as the mother ship for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) and will be central to submarine rescue missions, enabling the evacuation of personnel in the event of an underwater emergency. Nistar is also equipped with multiple Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to monitor divers and conduct salvage operations at depths of up to 1,000 metres.

 

Named after the Sanskrit word for liberation and rescue, Nistar is a highly specialised asset that adds a critical dimension to India’s underwater warfare and rescue preparedness.

 

“The delivery of Nistar, with nearly 75 per cent indigenous content, is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for indigenous construction and is in line with the government of India's vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and the 'Make in India' campaign,” the defence ministry statement read.

Defence