NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Friday commissioned first of its kind ship, an indigenously built Diving Support Vessel (DSV) which will be reinforcing its strategic maritime posture across the Indian Ocean Region at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam in the presence of the MoS (Def) Sanjay Seth.
DSV has been indigenously designed and constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam. On commissioning, the ship will join the Eastern Naval Command to support deep sea diving and submarine rescue operations.
Main roles of the vessel include undertaking deep sea diving and conducting rescue operations from distressed submarines.
The commissioning of Nistar and its induction into the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command will not only enhance India's operational preparedness in the underwater domain, but will also reinforce its strategic maritime posture across the Indian Ocean Region.
The approx Rs 2,400 cr project of two Diving Support Vessels (Nistar & Nipun) were launched in September 2022.
TNIE earlier reported the exhaustive list of Capital Ship and Submarine projects of the Indian Navy, which included these two DSVs. It included 61 warships which are under various stages of construction. Various projects for construction of 17 warships and nine Submarines are under the advanced stages of approvals.
Admiral DK Tripathi, Chief of Naval staff, called the commissioning of the indigenous ship a testimony to the growing capability and maturity of our maritime industrial base.
"Nistar is not just a technological asset for us, but also an important operational enabler. The induction of Nistar will enable us to provide critical submarine rescue support not only to the Indian Navy but also to the submarines of our regional partners. This will enable India to emerge as a 'Preferred Submarine Rescue Partner' in this region. Only a few navies in the world have such capability, and even fewer have developed it indigenously." CNS said.
This indigenous project involves participation of a total of 120 MSMEs in the construction of this ambitious, unique and state-of-the-art vessel, achieving more than 80% indigenous content. The project is a step towards realising the Indian Navy's vision of designing and constructing complex indigenous platforms.
With a length of approx 120 meters and displacing upwards of 10, 500 tonnage, the DSV has the capacity to maintain its position with extreme accuracy, using Dynamic Positioning System.
Endurance of over 60 days at sea, capacity to undertake stages through helicopter operations and a 15-ton subsea crane make the ship a very versatile platform.
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 expansive diving complex onboard which consists of both Air and Saturation Diving Systems, along with underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Side Scan SONAR, substantially enhances the operational envelope of the vessel.
The state-of-the-art Diving Equipment also includes Self-Propelled Hyperbaric LifeBoat and Diving Compression Chambers. It can undertake diving and salvage operations upto 300m depth. It would also serve as the 'Mother Ship' for deep submergence rescue vessels to rescue and evacuate personnel, from a dived submarine in distress well below the surface.
The two DSVs will play a significant role as the number of submarines in the force is rising. Six Scorpene Class Submarines have been inducted under Project 75. Approvals for six more submarines under the Project 75I and 3 under Project 75 (add on) are in advanced stages of approvals. The CCS green lighted construction of two nuclear attack submarines (SSNs) in October 2024.
The DSV is also outfitted with an Operation Theatre, Intensive Care Unit, Eight Bedded Hospital and Hyperbaric Medical Facilities which are critical towards meeting her operational roles.
In her earlier avatar ex-Nistar, was a submarine rescue vessel which was acquired by the Indian Navy from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971.
In two decades of service, she had significantly contributed towards the Indian Navy's diving and submarine rescue operations. With the commissioning of this ship, the legacy of ex-Nistar continues onwards, with her motto 'Surakshita Yatharthta Shauryam' translating to 'Deliverance with Precision and Bravery', aptly reflecting the main roles of the ship.
The crest of DSV Nistar 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 'Deliverance with Precision and Bravery' truly embodies its role and capabilities. In unison, these elements represent the diving and submarine rescue roles of Nistar.
Submarine rescue assets provides Indian Navy with a niche capability/role in Indian Ocean Region
Submarine operations are virtually invisible, highly secretive offering stealth and surprise whilst influencing events in all domains. Submarines are the most potent platforms carrying significant offensive firepower and provide crucial intelligence gathering capability that cannot be replicated by other means. By means of an array of sensors, submarines can monitor and influence activities in the air, surface and underwater domain. Their endurance and stealth allow them to operate in areas in-accessible to other platforms or systems and hence is an important asset for any nation.
The submarine accidents witnessed by the world till date establish the underwater environment as the most hostile. The underwater domain makes the submarine operations inherently risky. With almost no margin for error, submarines face a spectrum of potential hazards. In view of the inherentrisks involved in the submarine operations, it is an endeavour of submarine operating nations to have a submarine escape and rescue capability or else has a tie up with other nations for submarine rescue in case a need arises.
Almost all 40+ submarine operating countries have witnessed moderate to severe submarine accidents. Submarine operating countries in IOR include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam. While most of the submarine operating navies possess robust submarine fleets, only a few have integral submarine rescue capabilities.
Most navies have commercial agreements with other organisations/ countries which possess submarine rescue capabilities and rely on their assets reaching the area of distress within 72 hours. 14 countries are known to have some form of Submarine Rescue Systems.
The incident of Russian submarine Kursk demonstrated the lack of coordination amongst multilateral submarine rescue agencies in case of an unfortunate incident. With increasing submarine operating navies in IOR and elsewhere, possession of submarine rescue assets provides the Indian Navy with a niche capability to enhance relations with submarine operating nations.
With two 3rd Generation 'Air Transportable' DSRV Systems, capable of rescue up to depths of 650m, Indian Navy possesses a credible submarine rescue capability. The two Indian Navy Submarine Rescue Units have successfully acquired and demonstrated the proficiency and skills to operate the DSRV system at their optimum capabilities.
Indian Navy has also successfully acquired and proved the vital capability of Submarine rescue hatch certification. This has enabled the Indian Navy to offer one stop solution for all Submarine rescue services in the IOR region and beyond. The same was demonstrated when the Indian Navy responded to the DISSUB alert of Indonesian Submarine, Nanggala received on Apr 21 by mobilizing the DSRV Systems by sea and air to provide SAR assistance to the Indonesian Navy
The Indian Navy submarine rescue capability was also showcased to FFCs during the Goa Maritime Conclave-2021 in Nov 21 and during the last two MILANs in 2022 and 2024. The Indian Navy is also participating in the forthcoming Submarine Rescue Exercise Pacific Reach at Singapore in Sep 25.