- INS Nipun, India's 2nd deep-sea diving vessel, commissioned.
- Indigenously built by HSL, operates up to 300 meters.
- Offers submarine rescue, disaster relief, and underwater repair.
INS Nipun: The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned the indigenously developed diving support vessel 'INS Nipun' at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The vessel can reportedly undertake any deep-sea mission and is built using indigenous technology by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL). INS Nipun was commissioned in the presence of Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and is the second such deep-sea diving vessel handed over to the Navy.
INS Nipun: Key Features
- "Nipun" is a Sanskrit word, meaning expertise in a particular discipline
- The vessel is 119.4 metres long and has the capacity to support diving operations up to 300 metres
- It also provides rapid submarine rescue and can be utilized for disaster relief operations
- The ship is built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd and has a capacity of 10,500 tonnes
- INS Nipun is built with around 75 per cent indigenous content, showing India's growing ability to make high-quality vessels
- It can also repair another ship or machine on the spot if it breaks down underwater
- INS Nipun deploys a 15-ton subsea crane, dynamic positioning systems, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) capable of working at depths of up to 1,000 meters
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Loaded With Facilities
Apart from this, INS Nipun also has an eight-bed hospital, an intensive care unit, an operation theater, and hyperbaric medical facilities, giving it the capability to deal with medical problems related to deep-sea diving. Earlier in 2018, the defense ministry signed a contract with HSL for two such ships at a cost of approximately Rs 2,393 crore. The foundation stone for INS Nipun was laid in March 2020, four months after INS Nistar.
The high-profile vessel was handed over to the Navy on July 30 after rigorous sea trials. Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, on this occasion, asserted that the vessel will significantly benefit the navy. "We are living today through a period of significant strategic churn; the maritime environment is becoming increasingly contested," Admiral Swaminathan was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
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