INS Nistar commissioned, to boost deep-sea rescue ops-OxBig News Network

Indian Navy Ship (INS) Nistar, the first indigenously designed and constructed diving support vessel, was commissioned into the Navy on Friday.

Named as diving support vessel ‘DSV Nistar’, it is the first-of-its-class ship that has joined the Eastern Naval Command to support deep-sea diving and submarine rescue operations.

Nistar firmly reinforces the Indian Navy’s role as the first responder and preferred security partner in the region, said Sanjay Seth, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence. 

Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Tripathi described the ship as technological asset and a crucial enabler in operational duties. “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,” Admiral Tripathi said.

A total of 120 MSMEs participated in the construction of this ambitious, unique and state-of-the-art vessel, achieving more than 80 per cent indigenous content, the Navy said.

⁠Since the Navy has a tradition of not doing away with names of ships. A similar submarine rescue vessel which was acquired by the Indian Navy from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 was also named ‘Nistar’. “It had significantly contributed towards the Indian Navy’s diving and submarine rescue operations. The MoD said: “The ship’s previous incarnation played a key role in the Indo-Pak War. It was Nistar that carried out the diving outside Visakhapatnam harbour and identified the wreck of the Pakistani submarine Ghazi”.

With a length of approximately 120 metres and displacement of more than 10,000 tonnes, the DSV has the capacity to maintain its position with extreme accuracy. The diving complex onboard consists of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). As the ‘Mother Ship’ for the deep submergence rescue vehicle (DRV), the induction of this platform would provide a major capability enhancement to Indian Navy’s submarine rescue preparedness, the Navy said.

The ship is also outfitted with an operation theatre, intensive care unit, an 8-bed hospital and medical facilities which are critical towards meeting her operational roles. The ship has an endurance of over 60 days at sea. It carries a 15-tonne subsea crane.

⁠Its crest depicts an ‘anchor’ symbolising maritime dominance and stability, with a ‘dolphin’ circling it, signifying a seafarer’s friend and harbinger of fair weather.