New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) INS Nistar, the first indigenously designed and constructed diving support vessel, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Minister of State (MoS) for Defence, Sanjay Seth, in Visakhapatnam on Friday, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.

The ship, which is the first of the two diving support vessels being built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, is designed to undertake complex deep sea saturation diving and rescue operations — a capability select Navies possess across the globe.

Lauding the Indian Navy and the indigenous shipbuilding industry for their sustained efforts in consistently enhancing the indigenous content in warships through homegrown solutions and innovative technologies, the MoS in his address said that the commissioning of INS Nistar firmly reinforces the role of the Indian Navy as the ‘First Responder’ and ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the region.

He expressed confidence in the capabilities of the Armed Forces, saying that India stands committed and resolute to tackle any form of misadventure from its adversaries and described the induction of INS Nistar as a technological leap and a milestone in the Indian shipbuilding chapter towards building a future ready force.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi termed INS Nistar as not just a technological asset, but a crucial operational enabler.

“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 a testimony to the growing capability and maturity of our maritime industrial base, and another shining example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” the Naval Chief said in his address.

INS Nistar is installed with state-of-the-art diving equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, self-propelled hyperbaric life boat, diving compression chambers.

It can undertake diving and salvage operations upto 300 metre depth. It would also serve as the ‘Mother Ship’ for deep submergence rescue vessel to rescue and evacuate personnel, from a dived submarine in distress well below the surface.

The commissioning of the 118 metre ship, with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, upholds the Indian Navy’s resolve towards continuously strengthening its maritime capabilities in the underwater domain.

With participation of 120 MSMEs and incorporating more than 80 per cent indigenous content, INS Nistar is a statement to India’s ability to build complex ships at par with international standards.

–IANS

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