Singapore City [Singapore], September 15 : The Indian Navy's indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel INS Nistar and Submarine Rescue Unit (East) made their maiden port call at Changi Naval Base, Singapore, to participate in the biennial Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 on September 14.
"#IndianNavy's indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel #INSNistar & Submarine Rescue Unit (East) #SRUEast made their maiden port call at Changi Naval Base, #Singapore to participate in the biennial Exercise Pacific Reach #XPR25 on #14Sep 25," the Indian Navy said in a post on X.
https://x.com/indiannavy/status/1967543074239992259
"Nistar, as the mothership #MoShip for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles #DSRV will engage in multinational submarine rescue exercises and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges #SMEE with other participating nations in the forthcoming week," the post added.
The Navy further stated that personnel from the Republic of Singapore Navy and staff from the High Commission of India in Singapore extended a warm welcome to Nistar and SRU (East) on its first visit to the country.
The High Commission of India in Singapore also posted on X, "#INSNistar in Singapore. As the multinational submarine rescue exercise Pacific Reach 2025 kickstarts at Singapore (15 - 29 Sep 25), @HCI_Singapore wishes INS Nistar, Indian Navy's first indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel, the very best for a series of enriching and professional exchanges."
https://x.com/HCI_Singapore/status/1967109788011294974
INS Nistar's participation in the exercise came less than two months after its commissioning at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on July 18 this year, marking it as the country's first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, who hailed the milestone as a proud moment for the nation and praised Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi for his leadership and dedication.
Addressing the ceremony, Sanjay Seth said, "On this proud and special day of Nistar's commissioning, the whole country is proudly echoing the call for Aatmanirbharta, and the result is right in front of us. On this important occasion, I want to say to Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, your energy, dedication, and leadership are a matter of pride for 1.4 billion Indians."
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi termed the commissioning of INS Nistar, India's first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel, a historic achievement.
"India's first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel is a moment of great pride for all of us. I feel truly honoured to be present at its commissioning ceremony. This event is not just important for the Navy, but a historic achievement for the entire nation. On behalf of the Indian Navy, I sincerely thank the Hon'ble Minister of State for Defence for kindly accepting our invitation and joining us today as the Chief Guest," Tripathi said.
He said the new Nistar carried forward the legacy of the original ship, which played a key role during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, including in detecting the Pakistani submarine Ghazi. He thanked the Minister of State for Defence for joining the event as the Chief Guest.
"Nistar has returned with a new spirit and purpose. The earlier version of this ship was launched on March 29, 1971, and it played a key role in the Indo-Pak war that same year. It was based right here in Visakhapatnam and helped in identifying the Pakistani submarine Ghazi. It also made significant contributions to operations in the Eastern region. I am confident that this new Nistar will carry forward and strengthen the proud legacy of the original," he said.
'Nistar', the first indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel, was delivered by Hindustan Shipyard Limited to the Indian Navy on July 8, 2025, at Visakhapatnam.
The warship was designed and built as per classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The ship was highly specialised and could undertake Deep Sea Diving and Rescue Operations - a capability with select Navies across the globe.
The ship's name, 'Nistar', originated from Sanskrit and meant liberation, rescue or salvation. The ship, measuring 118 m with a tonnage of nearly 10,000 tons, was installed with state-of-the-art Diving Equipment and had the capability to undertake Deep Sea Saturation Diving up to 300 m depth. The ship also had a Side Diving Stage for undertaking Diving Operations up to 75 m depth.
The ship also served as the 'Mother Ship' for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), to rescue and evacuate personnel, in case of an emergency in a submarine underwater. The ship was equipped with a combination of Remotely Operated Vehicles to undertake Diver Monitoring and Salvage Operations up to a depth of 1000 m.
The delivery of Nistar, with nearly 75 per cent indigenous content, was yet another milestone in the Indian Navy's quest for indigenous construction and was in line with the Government of India's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the Make in India campaign.
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