SOURCE: AFI
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has marked a historic achievement with the successful completion of diving system trials on its advanced Diving Support Vessel (DSV), Nistar. This milestone not only strengthens India’s maritime capabilities but also positions the nation as a potential leader in exporting sophisticated naval vessels. As the first of two indigenously built DSVs for the Indian Navy, Nistar is designed for complex deep-sea diving and submarine rescue operations, showcasing HSL’s technological prowess and engineering excellence.
The recently concluded trials validated Nistar’s air diving systems through rigorous unmanned and manned dives at varying depths, confirming the vessel’s reliability in challenging underwater conditions. Additionally, successful tests of the Observation Remotely Operated Vehicle (OROV) underscored its readiness for deep-ocean missions. With saturation diving trials slated for the coming months, Nistar is poised to further cement its advanced operational capabilities.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, Nistar features a Dynamic Positioning System (DP-II) for precise stability during critical underwater tasks. The vessel is fitted with specialized equipment, including a six-person Decompression Chamber, a Submersible Decompression Chamber (SDC)—commonly known as a Diving Bell, launched via a moon pool for enhanced diver safety—and a Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboat (SPHL). These features ensure Nistar meets the highest standards of safety and efficiency for deep-sea operations.
The Nistar project signifies a remarkable turnaround for HSL, which had not undertaken naval projects of such technical complexity since the mid-1990s, focusing instead on simpler commercial shipbuilding. Breaking this nearly three-decade gap, HSL’s successful execution of the DSV project places it among an elite group of global shipyards capable of delivering advanced naval platforms.
“This achievement reflects HSL’s evolution from constructing simpler naval vessels to delivering highly complex and strategic maritime platforms,” said a senior official associated with the project. The transformation has been driven by the visionary leadership of HSL’s Chairman and Managing Director, whose tenure has spurred significant infrastructure upgrades and strategic technological collaborations, enabling this unprecedented leap in capability.
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