Indian Navy’s latest indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel (DSV), INS Nistar, made its maiden port call at Changi, Singapore, on Sunday.
“The ship functioning under the Command and Control of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet will be participating in the multinational Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 (XPR 25) commencing 15 Sep 2025,” read a statement issued by the Indian government.
INS Nistar, commissioned on July 18, is a shining example of India’s self-reliance and progress towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in shipbuilding and has been able to achieve more than 80% indigenisation.
The ship, with its Side Scan Sonar, Work & Observation Class ROVs, and expansive deep sea diving systems, will be carrying out the role of mothership (MoSHIP) for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).
With the induction of two DSRVs in 2018–19, one for each seaboard, capable of rescue operations till depths of 650 metres, India joined the elite league of nations which operate dedicated submarine rescue systems.
These systems can either be deployed on Vessels of Opportunity (VoO) or airlifted to the nearest mobilisation port for rapid deployment to distant seas.
Submarine Rescue Unit (East) will be operating from the mothership for the biennial submarine rescue exercise in the South China Sea, which is aimed at bringing together the submarine rescue platforms and assets operated by various nations for streamlining the procedures, inculcating Best Practices, and enhancing interoperability.
Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, being hosted by Singapore, will see participation of more than 40 nations as active participants or as observers.
The exercise will mainly be conducted in two phases, viz. harbour and sea phase.
The week-long harbour phase will involve in-depth discussions on submarine rescue systems, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), medical symposium, and cross-deck visits between the participating nations.
The sea phase of the exercise would witness INS Nistar and SRU(E) engaging in multiple intervention and rescue operations with participating assets in the South China Sea.
