Minister Rajnath to Commission INS Nistar on July 18 in Vizag
State-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has built the vessel for the Indian Navy.
Visakhapatnam: The first indigenous diving support vessel (DSV) INS Nistar will be commissioned in presence of Defence minister Rajnath Singh at the Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard on July 18.
State-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has built the vessel for the Indian Navy. It will join the Eastern Naval Command and support deep sea diving and submarine rescue operations.
DSVs are specialised naval platforms equipped with an array of complex diving support systems, apart from a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV). These ships are capable of undertaking search and rescue operations and carrying out helicopter operations at sea. INS Nistar is the first of the two DSVs that the Indian Navy is commissioning, the second being INS Nipun.
Nistar in Sanskrit translates to rescue, said the Indian Navy in its post on X. HSL delivered the ship to the Navy on July 8 and it is set to be commissioned on July 18.
The Indian Navy’s post said commissioning of INS Nistar is a testament to Government of India ‘s resolute focus on nation-building through self-reliance – Atma Nirbharta – in defence production. A total of 120 MSMEs have participated in construction of this ambitious, unique and state-of-the-art diving support vessel, whose 80 per cent content is indigenous. The project is a step towards realising the Indian Navy’s vision of designing and constructing complex indigenous platforms.
Indian Navy had acquired the earlier INS Nistar from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971. In over two decades of service, she had significantly contributed towards the Indian Navy’s diving and submarine rescue operations.
The indigenously built INS Nistar is approximately 120 metres in length. It displaces more than 10,000 tonnes. The DSV maintains its position with extreme accuracy using a dynamic positioning system.
