INS Nipun Commissioned: Navy Bolsters Deep-Sea Rescue and Salvage Capability
Indian Navy commissions INS Nipun, its second indigenous Diving Support Vessel, enhancing deep-sea rescue, salvage, and underwater intervention capabilities.
The Indian Navy has commissioned INS Nipun, its second Diving Support Vessel (DSV) of the Nistar class, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The vessel is designed for deep-sea diving, underwater intervention, salvage, and submarine rescue operations, marking a significant enhancement of India's capabilities in the underwater domain.
INS Nipun is not a combat vessel like a destroyer or frigate. Instead, it serves as a specialised platform equipped to support complex underwater missions. It can facilitate saturation diving, air diving, and heliox diving, allowing personnel to operate at significant depths for extended periods. The ship also carries remotely operated underwater systems, life-support infrastructure, and medical facilities.
A key feature of the vessel is its dynamic positioning system, which allows it to maintain a precise position despite currents and weather conditions—essential when divers or equipment are working far below the surface. This capability also enables the ship to support underwater salvage operations and respond to contingencies.
The need for such vessels stems from the growing strategic importance of the underwater domain. With an expanding submarine fleet and increasingly contested waters in the Indian Ocean, the ability to respond to submarine emergencies is critical. Rescuing a stranded submarine's crew requires a dedicated ecosystem of diving systems, hyperbaric facilities, and remotely operated vehicles, which a conventional warship cannot provide.
INS Nipun and its sister ship, INS Nistar, fill this gap. While INS Nistar, commissioned in July 2025, is deployed under the Eastern Naval Command, INS Nipun will operate under the Western Naval Command. This staggered deployment provides coverage across India's vast maritime areas.
The vessels also support India's ambition to act as a 'Preferred Submarine Rescue Partner' in the Indian Ocean Region, potentially assisting friendly nations in underwater emergencies. This adds a diplomatic dimension to India's role as a regional security provider.
Both vessels were indigenously designed and constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. The completion of the two-vessel programme underscores the growing maturity of India's naval shipbuilding industry and its progress under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence manufacturing.