Indian Navy commissions new submarine rescue ship

The Indian Navy commissioned its newest dive support vessel (DSV) during a ceremony in Visakhapatnam on Friday, July 18.

The 118-metre INS Nistar, named after the Sanskrit for “rescue,” is the first in a planned class of two long-endurance DSVs that will be used primarily for the rescue of crews of distressed submarines. Construction took place at the Visakhapatnam facilities of Hindustan Shipyard.

The DSV's secondary duties will include patrols, general search and rescue, salvage, underwater inspections, and non-combatant evacuation operations.

Space is available for a deployable submersible deep sea rescue vehicle and remotely operated vehicles used for divers’ monitoring and salvage. A flight deck capable of accommodating a 15-tonne helicopter is installed forward of the superstructure.

The DSV is equipped for conducting deep sea saturation diving to depths of as much as 300 metres. The vessel also has a side diving stage for undertaking diving operations up to 75 metres.

A 15-tonne crane is fitted for retrieving underwater debris.

Diving operations are supported by a six-person decompression chamber, a diving bell, a moonpool, and a self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboat.