The Indian Navy has inducted INS Nistar, the first of two indigenously designed and built diving support vessels into service during a commissioning ceremony held in Visakhapatnam city on 18 July 2025.
The vessel was constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) and delivered to the Indian Navy on 8 July 2025.
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INS Nistar is designed for advanced deep-sea saturation diving and rescue operations and can conduct diving and salvage missions up to depths of 300 metres (m).
The vessel is equipped with diving equipment such as a combination of remotely operated vehicles, a self-propelled hyperbaric life boat, and diving compression chambers.
It will also operate as ‘Mother Ship’ for a deep submergence rescue vehicle tasked with rescuing crew from distressed submarines submerged at great depths.
India State Defence Minister Sanjay Seth said: “The commissioning of INS Nistar firmly reinforces the role of the Indian Navy as the ‘First Responder’ and ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the region. The indigenous shipbuilding Industry has been one of the pillars of the Government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.”
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By GlobalDataINS Nistar development is supported by 120 micro, small and medium enterprises and features more than 80% indigenous content.
Designed and built according to the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) classification rules, the 118m-long ship has a displacement of over 10,000 tonnes (t).
The ship represents not only a technological milestone but also an essential operational asset, said chief of Naval staff admiral Dinesh Tripathi.
“Nistar will provide critical submarine rescue support to the Indian Navy as well as our regional partners. This will enable India to emerge as a ‘Preferred Submarine Rescue Partner’ in this region. The commissioning of Nistar is testimony to the growing capability and maturity of our maritime industrial base, and another shining example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” Tripathi said.
Currently, the Indian Navy has all 57 new warships under construction domestically.
Earlier in July 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned its latest stealth multi-role frigate, “Tamal” at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
