Indian Navy Commissions INS Nipun, Second Nistar-Class Diving Support Vessel, at Mumbai Naval Dockyard

Key facts

• The Indian Navy commissioned INS Nipun, its second indigenous Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
• INS Nipun was commissioned in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan.
• The vessel was designed and constructed by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, and delivered to the Indian Navy on July 30, 2026.
• Nearly 75 per cent of INS Nipun's components are indigenous, supporting India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• INS Nipun is approximately 118 metres long and has a displacement of more than 8,500 tonnes.
• The vessel can support saturation diving operations at depths of up to 300 metres and side diving stage operations at around 75 metres depth.
• INS Nipun can act as a mother ship for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRVs) to evacuate crew from distressed submarines.
• It is equipped with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for underwater surveillance, inspection, salvage and diver monitoring.
• The vessel has an eight-bed hospital, intensive care facilities, an operating theatre and hyperbaric medical systems for diving-related emergencies.
• With INS Nistar under the Eastern Naval Command, INS Nipun gives the Indian Navy a two-coast deep-sea rescue capability along the western maritime front.