Indian Navy Commissions Diving Support Vessel INS Nipun at Mumbai Naval Dockyard
The Indian Navy commissioned INS Nipun on Monday, August 31, 2026, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The vessel is the second Diving Support Vessel of the Nistar class and is designed to significantly enhance naval capabilities in deep-sea diving, underwater intervention, and submarine rescue.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan presided over the commissioning ceremony. The event was attended by Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, along with senior naval officers, representatives of Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), veterans, and families of the commissioning crew. INS Nipun formally entered operational service with the hoisting of the Commissioning Pennant.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the specialist platform was indigenously designed and built by HSL in Visakhapatnam. Its induction marks a step toward self-reliance in defence shipbuilding and demonstrates domestic capacity to build technologically advanced naval platforms.
INS Nipun is primarily equipped to support deep-sea diving operations, including saturation, air, and heliox diving. The vessel features remotely operated underwater systems for inspection and intervention, a specialised diving complex, dynamic positioning capabilities, life-support systems, and medical facilities to sustain operations in demanding maritime environments. Operating alongside its sister ship INS Nistar, the vessel will also bolster salvage operations and underwater contingencies.
Speaking at the ceremony, Admiral Swaminathan stated that the induction reflects synergy between the Indian Navy, HSL, and the domestic industrial sector. He noted that the vessel successfully proved the role-worthiness of all its diving systems in a single sortie during sea trials.
Based on the West Coast under the Western Naval Command, INS Nipun will support multi-domain operations. Admiral Swaminathan highlighted that such niche capabilities are held by only a handful of navies worldwide, allowing India to respond quickly to distressed submarines belonging to the Indian Navy and partner nations, while strengthening its role as a regional submarine rescue partner.
Addressing the crew, the Chief of the Naval Staff urged them to uphold the ship's motto, 'Nischay, Nirbhay, Nipun' (Resolve, Fearlessness and Professional Mastery), alongside the domain motto, 'Far Beneath, Few Beyond'.
