INS Nistar Commissioned: India’s First Indigenous Deep-Sea Rescue Ship Joins Navy

In a major step towards self-reliance in defence, the Indian Navy on Friday commissioned INS Nistar, the country’s first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV), at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

Constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), the 10,000-tonne vessel was officially handed over to the Navy on July 8. Designed for deep-sea diving and complex rescue operations, INS Nistar adds a critical new capability to the Indian Navy—one that only a handful of navies globally currently possess. The vessel also serves as the mother ship for the Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, both of whom hailed the event as a landmark achievement for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign.

Calling INS Nistar a proud addition to India's maritime arsenal, Admiral Tripathi highlighted its historical legacy. “I am confident that this new Nistar will carry forward and strengthen the proud legacy of the original,” he said, referencing the original vessel by the same name that played a key role in detecting the sunken Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Stretching 118 metres in length, INS Nistar is constructed to the exacting standards of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). It is capable of saturation diving up to 300 metres and features a side diving stage for operations up to 75 metres. The ship is also equipped with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) that can descend as deep as 1,000 metres to assist in diver support and undersea salvage missions.

Approximately 75% of the ship’s components are sourced indigenously, underlining India's growing defence manufacturing capabilities under the Make in India initiative.

The name Nistar, derived from Sanskrit, means “liberation” or “rescue”—a fitting title for a vessel dedicated to saving lives and strengthening India’s underwater operational capabilities.

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