Navy commissions five Diving Support Craft

The Indian Navy commissioned DSC A20, first of the five Diving Support Craft (DSC), built indigenously by M/s Titagarh Rail System Limited, during a ceremony held at Naval Base, Kochi, on Tuesday.

The event was presided over by Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command and hosted by Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, with senior naval officers, representatives of M/s Titagarh Rail System Limited, Kolkata and distinguished guests in attendance.

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The contract for building five Diving Support Craft was signed between MoD and M/s Titagarh Rail System Limited, Kolkata on 12 February 2021. The Hydrodynamic Analysis and Model Testing of the ship during design stage, was undertaken at Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam.

DSC A20 has been designed and constructed as per the classification rules of Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). It is a catamaran-hull ship, with a displacement of approx 390 Tonnes . Fitted with state-of-the-art Diving Equipment, the vessel would play a vital role for underwater repairs & inspections, harbour clearances and critical diving missions in coastal waters.

Commissioning of DSC A20 is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for indigenous shipbuilding, upholding the government’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The indigenous construction of such a specialised platform in the Indian Navy stands as a testament to growing domestic capabilities, self-reliance and reducing dependency on imports, the Ministry of Defence said.