INS Nistar Commissioned: India’s First Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Joins Navy

Overview: INS Nistar, India’s first indigenous Diving Support Vessel, has been commissioned in Visakhapatnam, boosting India’s submarine rescue and deep-sea operations. Built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., the 118-metre vessel is equipped with advanced ROVs, compression chambers, and a Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboat. It strengthens India’s maritime security, Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, and regional submarine rescue capabilities.

Riyaz

Jul-19-2025

INS Nistar Commissioned: India’s First Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Joins Navy

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Nistar, a diving support vessel (DSV), India first indigenously constructed, in Visakhapatnam. The 118-metre ship is built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. and is fitted to work with deep-sea saturation diving and submarine rescue. The ship enhances the ability of India to serve as a regional maritime security partner and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Possessing ROVs, hyperbaric lifeboats, and compression rooms, it is capable of working in a depth of up to 300 metres. The INS Nistar will serve as a mother to Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels (DSRVs) that are applied in cases of submarine disaster.

What is INS Nistar?

Feature	Details
Type	Diving Support Vessel (DSV)
Builder	Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., Visakhapatnam
Length	118 metres
Role	Submarine rescue, salvage, saturation diving
Diving Depth	Up to 300 metres
Commissioned	July 12, 2025
Special Systems	ROVs, hyperbaric lifeboat, diving chambers

Features of INS Nistar

Underwater under-sea ROVs inspection vehicles
Self-propelled Hyperbaric Life Boat (SPHL) to rescue of divers/submariners under pressure
Diving Compression Chambers in aid of saturation diving
Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) Mother Ship
It is able to do under water salvage and recovery work

What is Diver Saturation Diving?

A deep-sea diving method adopted with depth beyond 50 metres with divers working under pressure at frequent times.
Used in:
- Submarine rescue
- Repairs and salvage in the under-water field
- Offshore Gas and oil platforms

Strategic Importance

Area	Importance
Navy’s Role	Enhances India's ability as first responder in regional submarine accidents
Maritime Security	Supports India's status as a Preferred Security Partner in the Indian Ocean
Indigenous Capability	Boosts self-reliance in naval shipbuilding under Aatmanirbhar Bharat
Humanitarian Ops	Useful in search and rescue (SAR), disaster relief, and underwater accident response

Native Defence Reinforcement

INS Nistar belongs to the Indian Navy indigenous build-up of a required 57 new warships in the pipeline.
The innovation was done through the Indian expertise and it is aimed at making use of less foreign diving and rescue vessels.
A representation of the Make in India success story in the world of complex naval platforms.

Global context

Just a small number of navies (e.g. the US, UK and France) possess operational back-ends, full-fledged DSVs capable of saturation diving and rescuing deep subs.
INS Nistar puts India in an exclusive club as a country which can help in international submarine rescue operations.

Conclusion

INS Nistar is a revolutionary vessel in the Indian Navy fleet, which strengthens the maritime power of India, domestic defence production, and strategic involvement in the Indo-Pacific. It is a turning point in the Indian efforts to emerge as a self reliant maritime power with essential under sea support capability.