SYLLABUS
GS-3: Achievements of Indians in Science & Technology; Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology.
Context: The Indian Navy recently commissioned INS Nipun, the second Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel (DSV), strengthening its deep-sea diving, underwater intervention and submarine-rescue capabilities.
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- Indigenous platform: INS Nipun has been indigenously designed and constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, strengthening India’s capability to build technologically complex specialist naval platforms.
- Specialised capabilities: The vessel supports saturation, air and heliox diving, remotely operated underwater systems, dynamic positioning, and specialised life-support and medical facilities.
- Submarine rescue: Nipun can embark and operate the Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), enabling rapid response to distressed submarines.
- Two-coast capability: Based under the Western Naval Command, Nipun complements INS Nistar at Visakhapatnam, providing purpose-built DSV support on India’s western and eastern seaboards.
What is a Diving Support Vessel?
- Specialised platform: A DSV is a purpose-built vessel that provides the equipment, personnel and infrastructure required for complex and sustained underwater operations.
- Diving operations: It supports specialised diving, including deep-sea and saturation diving, by providing systems for deployment, monitoring, recovery and diver support.
- Underwater intervention: DSVs facilitate inspection, intervention, salvage and recovery of underwater assets through divers and remotely operated systems.
- Submarine rescue: A DSV can serve as a mother ship for a DSRV, deploying the rescue vehicle to a distressed submarine and supporting its recovery operations.
- Operational support: Dynamic positioning, diving, life-support and medical systems enable specialised underwater missions to be conducted safely and continuously at sea.
About INS Nipun
- Nistar-class DSV: INS Nipun is the second of two Nistar-class DSVs built by HSL for the Indian Navy, following INS Nistar, commissioned in July 2025.
- Deep-sea diving: It supports air, saturation and heliox diving, with saturation-diving capability reported up to 300 metres.
- Underwater systems: Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) support underwater inspection and intervention, while dynamic positioning enables precise station-keeping during complex operations.
- Submarine rescue: Nipun can function as the mother ship for the DSRV, allowing the rescue vehicle to be deployed directly from a dedicated platform rather than relying on an improvised vessel.
- Sustained operations: Its specialised diving complex, life-support and medical facilities enable prolonged and technically demanding underwater operations, including diving, intervention and salvage.
Significance of INS Nipun for India
- Closes a submarine-rescue capability gap: India had acquired two DSRV systems in 2018–19 but lacked purpose-built mother ships, with INS Sabarmati used as an interim platform. Nipun provides a dedicated western-seaboard platform, improving response time in submarine emergencies.
- Creates two-coast rescue coverage: With Nipun on the western coast and Nistar at Visakhapatnam on the eastern coast, India now has dedicated DSV support across both maritime fronts, improving the reach of specialised underwater operations.
- Strengthens India’s underwater domain capability: Beyond submarine rescue, the two DSVs enhance capabilities in deep-sea diving, underwater intervention, salvage and recovery, relevant to an increasingly contested maritime environment.
- Enhances India’s regional maritime role: The capability allows India to respond to distressed submarines of partner nations and support underwater salvage and HADR, strengthening its position as a potential “Preferred Submarine Rescue Partner” in the region.
- Advances defence indigenisation: Indigenous construction of this niche and technologically complex platform by HSL strengthens India’s specialised naval shipbuilding ecosystem and Aatmanirbharta in defence.