Indian Navy receives diving support vessel ‘Nistar’ from HSL

The Indian Navy has commissioned 'Nistar,' its first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel. Equipped for deep-sea diving and rescue operations, 'Nistar' significantly enhances India's naval capabilities.

New Delhi: Indian Navy has received the first indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel, ‘Nistar’, from Hindustan Shipyard Limited at Visakhapatnam. The driving support vessel represents a significant advancement in India's deep-sea capabilities and naval rescue infrastructure. The warship has been designed and built as per classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).

The ship is highly specialised and can undertake Deep Sea Diving and Rescue Operations – a capability with select Navies across the globe. The ship’s name, ‘Nistar’, originates from Sanskrit and means liberation, rescue or salvation.

The ship, measuring 118 m with a tonnage of nearly 10,000 tons, is installed with state-of-the-art Diving Equipment and has the capability to undertake Deep Sea Saturation Diving up to 300 m depth.

The ship also has a Side Diving Stage for undertaking Diving Operations up to 75 m depth. The ship will also serve as the ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), to rescue and evacuate personnel, in case of an emergency in a submarine underwater.

The ship is equipped with a combination of Remotely Operated Vehicles to undertake Diver Monitoring and Salvage Operations up to a depth of 1000 m. “The delivery of Nistar, with nearly 75% indigenous content, is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for indigenous construction and is in line with the GoI’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the Make in India campaign,” an official said.

Additionally, the vessel incorporates a heavy-duty marine crane equipped with active heave compensation, essential for precisely handling loads in rough seas. This system facilitates the safe deployment and recovery of subsea equipment, further ensuring operational safety and reliability.