INS Nistar: First Indigenously Designed and Constructed Diving Support Vessel

INS Nistar is India’s first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV), commissioned in July 2025. Check here key features of INS Nistar.

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Context: INS Nistar reached Singapore to participate in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 (XPR 25). The Indian Navy received the ‘Nistar’ vessel from Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam.

About INS Nistar

‘Nistar’ is the first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV) in India.
The name ‘Nistar’ is derived from Sanskrit, meaning liberation, rescue, or salvation.
The vessel has been constructed following the classification standards of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
It is a highly specialised ship, capable of conducting deep-sea diving and rescue operations, a rare capability possessed by only a few navies globally.

Indigenous build (80%) mothership (MoSHIP) for India’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).
Capabilities: Equipped with side scan sonar, work-class and observation-class ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles), and expansive deep-sea diving systems for complex underwater missions.

9th Edition Exercise Pacific Reach 2025

A biennial multinational submarine rescue drill was first launched in 1996 in the Asia-Pacific region.
Purpose: To improve cooperation, interoperability, and readiness in submarine rescue operations among navies.
Phases:
- Harbour phase activities include seminars, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), medical symposiums, and cross-deck visits.
- Sea phase activities include live submarine rescue drills, intervention operations, deep-water simulated emergencies, and Mass Evacuation Exercises (MASSEVEX).

Key Features of Nistar

Dimensions: Measures 118 meters in length and weighs around 10,000 tons.
Equipped with advanced diving systems, allowing Deep Sea Saturation Diving up to 300 meters
Contains a Side Diving Stage to facilitate diving operations up to 75 meters.
Acts as the ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), used for the rescue and evacuation of submarine personnel in emergencies.
Fitted with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) capable of diver monitoring and salvage tasks up to 1000 meters below the surface.
Built with approximately 75% indigenous components, showcasing a major step toward self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) and supporting the Make in India initiative.