India achieved a major maritime triumph with the commissioning of nation's first indigenously built Diving Support Vessel, Nistar, on Friday in Visakhapatnam.
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi called the commissioning of Nistar into the Indian Navy, stating that the diving vessel will carry forward its legacy with advanced saturation dive systems and capability to rescue deep submergence rescue vessels, including submarines.
"Old ships never die, they always return in upgraded form," said Tripathi, during the commissioning ceremony.
Originally built on 29 March 1971, Nistar has played a crucial role in identifying Pakistan’s sunken submarine Gazi outside Visakhapatnam harbour and Eastern operations, during the Indo-Pakistan war. Nistar was decommissioned in 1989.
Nistar is both technologically and operationally significant, enhancing India’s and regional partners’ submarine rescue capabilities, with India set to emerge as a preferred partner in submarine rescue globally, said the CNS.
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Tripathi said that only a few navies worldwide have such capabilities, and fewer nations develop them indigenously, with Nistar boosting India’s maritime-based industry.
Present at the event, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said the Indian Navy has a history of glorious victories and noted that Nistar will enhance India’s global identity, proving that the Indian Navy stands as an equal among world powers.
Nistar, earlier weighing 800 tonnes, is now revived with a weight of 10,500 tonnes, and is 120 meters long, reflecting Viksit Bharat’s (Developed India) technological transformation, said the minister, adding that with the help of 120 MSME sector employees, "India shifted from importer to exporter", exporting defence goods valued at ₹23,622 crore and aiming for ₹50,000 crore.
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