INS Nistar, India’s first indigenous diving support vessel, commissioned in Visakhapatnam

INS Nistar, India’s first indigenously designed and constructed diving support vessel, was commissioned into the Indian Navy amidst much fanfare in Visakhapatnam on Friday. The ship, the first of two diving support vessels being built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, is designed to undertake complex deep-sea saturation diving and rescue operations – a capability possessed by only a few navies worldwide.

The commissioning ceremony was held in the presence of Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth. Addressing the gathering, Seth said 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. Currently, all 57 new warships in the pipeline are being constructed indigenously,” he said.

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Expressing confidence in the capabilities of the Armed Forces, the minister said that India stands committed and resolute in tackling any form of misadventure from its adversaries. He described the induction of INS Nistar as a technological leap and a milestone in the Indian shipbuilding chapter towards building a future-ready force.

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.

Installed with state-of-the-art diving equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, a self-propelled Hyperbaric Life Boat, Diving Compression Chambers, the ship can undertake diving and salvage operations up to a depth of 300 metres. It will also serve as the ‘mother ship’ for deep submergence rescue vessels, enabling the rescue and evacuation of personnel from a submarine in distress well below the surface.

The commissioning of the 118-metre-long ship, with a displacement of more than 10,000 tonnes, upholds the Indian Navy’s resolve towards continuously strengthening its maritime capabilities in the underwater domain.