NewzVille Desk
To boost India’s naval self-reliance, Hindustan Shipyard Limited delivered the Indian Navy’s first indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel, ‘Nistar’, at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, marking a milestone in underwater operational capability.
Built under the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), ‘Nistar’ is a highly specialised warship capable of deep-sea diving and complex rescue operations, a feature available to only a few advanced navies worldwide.
The name ‘Nistar’, rooted in Sanskrit, translates to liberation or rescue. The 118-metre vessel displaces nearly 10,000 tons and is fitted with state-of-the-art diving systems capable of saturation diving up to 300 metres below sea level.
The ship also features a Side Diving Stage for operations up to 75 metres and will serve as the ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), designed to evacuate submariners during underwater emergencies.
Equipped with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), ‘Nistar’ can perform diver monitoring and salvage tasks up to a depth of 1,000 metres, significantly enhancing India’s submarine rescue and recovery operations.
With nearly 75 percent indigenous content, the delivery of ‘Nistar’ aligns with the Indian Navy’s indigenisation drive and supports the Government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives in defence manufacturing.
