INS Nistar is a diving support and submarine rescue vessel being built for the Indian Navy, designed to provide rapid response during submarine emergencies and to enhance India’s submarine rescue and deep-sea diving capabilities.
Key Facts
- Type: Submarine Rescue and Diving Support Vessel (DSRV-class).
- Builder: Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam in collaboration with Shipyard of Italy (M/s T Mariotti).
- Launch: May 2024 (launched by President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces).
- Sister Ship: INS Nipun — also a submarine rescue vessel under construction at HSL.
Purpose and Capabilities
- Primary Role:
To provide emergency rescue support to distressed submarines — known as Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) operations. - Capabilities:
- Equipped with Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) systems to locate and rescue trapped submariners.
- Features Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) to maintain precise location over a submarine in distress.
- Can operate in deep-sea conditions (up to 600 m).
- Equipped with saturation diving systems, helium-oxygen chambers, and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) for complex underwater repair and recovery.
- Can support underwater survey, torpedo recovery, and salvage operations.