Indian Navy commissions diving support vessel Nistar

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Nistar at Visakhapatnam on Friday. Nistar is one of two Diving Support Vessels (DSVs) ordered from Hindustan Shipyard Limited in 2018, with the second named Nipun. Both DSVs were launched in September 2022.

INS Nistar commissioning | Photo: Indian Navy

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi said at the commissioning, “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.”

INS Nistar is a little over 118 metres long and around 20 metres wide with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons.

Nistar at its launch in 2022 | Photo: Indian Navy

Joining the Eastern Naval Command as a Diving Support Vessel, INS Nistar represents a rare capability for ‘complex deep sea saturation diving and rescue operations,’ according to the Indian Navy, something that very few navies possess.

The navy said in its statement INS Nistar is ‘installed with state-of-the-art diving equipment such as Remotely Operated Vehicles, Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Life Boat, Diving Compression Chambers,’ with the ability to ‘undertake diving and salvage operations up to 300 metres depth.’

INS Nistar has the ability to maintain its position with extreme accuracy, using Dynamic Positioning Systems. The diving complex consists of air and saturation diving systems, Remotely Operated Vehicles and Side Scan Sonar. INS Nistar also has a Side Diving Stage for conducting diving operations up to a depth of 75 metres.

INS Nistar has an endurance of 60 days at sea and can conduct helicopter operations, in addition to being equipped with a 15-ton subsea crane. The Nistar also hosts medical facilities including an operation theatre intensive care unit, hyperbaric medical facilities and an eight-bedded hospital.

‘It would also serve as the ‘Mother Ship’ for Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) to rescue and evacuate personnel, from a dived submarine in distress well below the surface,’ said the navy, adding, ‘The ship is equipped with a combination of Remotely Operated Vehicles to undertake Diver Monitoring and Salvage Operations up to a depth of 1,000 m.’

DSRV Capability

The Indian Navy had inducted DSRVs in 2018, with one for each coast ordered from the United Kingdom’s James Fisher Defence, and based at Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. Air-transport capable, the DSRVs are complemented with Emergency Life Support Containers helped along by Remotely Operated Vehicles. According to the navy, its DSRVs have the ‘capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine up to a depth of 650 metres.’ During trials, the ‘DSRV dived to over 666 metres, the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dived to 750 metres and the Side Scan Sonar dived to 650 metres. The navy said in 2018, ‘Live undersea matings with different types of submarines along with transfer of personnel from submarine to DSRV has also been achieved,’ at a depth of 300 feet. The DSRV, which is operated by a crew of three, can rescue 14 personnel from a disabled submarine at one time.

It’s worth noting that the Indian Navy had dispatched its DSRV to assign in search and rescue effort for the crew of the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggale, which was reported missing in April 2021. In September 2024, the Indian Navy concluded an Implementation Agreement with the South Africa Navy ‘that ensures the safety of the South African Navy’s submarine crew in times of distress or accident.’ The Indian Navy said at the time in a statement, ‘ Under this agreement, the Indian Navy will provide assistance by deploying its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) when required.’

The name ‘Nistar’ means liberation, rescue or salvation in Sanskrit.

According to the navy, ‘The crest depicts an ‘anchor’ symbolising maritime dominance and stability; with the ‘dolphin’ circling it signifying a seafarer’s friend & harbinger of fair weather.’ The ship’s motto is ‘Deliverance with Precision and Bravery.’ The earlier Nistar was an Indian Navy submarine rescue vessel acquired from the USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971. The construction of the Nistar includes almost 80 percent indigenous content and 120 MSMEs have been involved in its construction.