Indian Diving Support Vessel Nipun: India has made its Navy stronger by adding a new ship called Nipun. On July 30, 2026, the Indian Navy received this second indigenous Diving Support Vessel in Visakhapatnam. The ship was built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited with nearly 75% Indian-made parts and materials. It was also built by following the standards of the Indian Register of Shipping, showing that it meets the required safety and quality rules.
Nipun comes after its sister ship, INS Nistar, which was delivered in 2025 and later commissioned into the Navy. Together, the two ships give India a stronger home-grown base for deep-sea diving and submarine rescue work.
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What can Nipun do?
The name Nipun comes from Sanskrit and means someone who is skilled, capable and well versed in a field. The name fits the ship well. It is built for deep-sea diving, rescue work and salvage missions. The ship has modern diving systems that allow divers to work deep underwater for a long time. It also has a side diving platform and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). These ROVs help watch divers, inspect underwater areas and carry out rescue and recovery work.
One of Nipun’s biggest jobs is to carry the Indian Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV). If a submarine gets trapped or has an emergency underwater, the DSRV can be launched from Nipun to rescue the crew. This makes Nipun an important ship for the Navy’s underwater rescue missions.
Nipun is also a large and well-equipped vessel. HSL has said that it measures about 118 metres and displaces more than 8,560 tonnes. It has Dynamic Positioning, Saturation Diving, Submarine Rescue and Deep-sea Intervention systems all in one hull. In simple words, it is not just a ship. It is a full underwater support platform.
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India’s Maritime Strategy
Nipun and Nistar together give the Indian Navy dedicated support on both the eastern and western coasts. That improves readiness at a time when India’s submarine fleet is growing and underwater safety is becoming even more important.
A former Navy officer described the arrival of Nipun after Nistar as a major boost to underwater rescue strength and said the next challenge is to push deeper operating limits. That captures the bigger point well. India is not only adding a ship. It is building a stronger, more independent system for deep-sea operations, submarine rescue and naval support work.
Hindustan Shipyard Limited has also shown that it can deliver complex naval platforms on time. That is a big win for India’s defence shipbuilding sector and for the country’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat push.
