Navy chief Admiral Swaminathan flags evolving threats, rising maritime contestation
The Chief of the Naval Staff commissioned INS Nipun, India's second indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV), at a ceremony under the Western Naval Command.
The Navy Chief stated the maritime environment is "becoming increasingly contested," with threat perceptions "constantly evolving" into newer forms of challenge, citing turmoil in West Asia, threatened global maritime highways, and regional rearmament.
INS Nipun is designed to operate India's Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) and is equipped with saturation diving systems, a dynamic positioning system, diving compression chambers, self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboats, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
The vessel expands India's capacity for submarine rescue — for both Indian and partner-navy submarines — and for underwater salvage and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HADR) missions.
Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) and Submarine Rescue Capability
A DSRV is a specialised manned or remotely piloted submersible designed to rescue crew from a disabled, bottomed submarine by mating with its escape hatch, allowing personnel transfer at depth without surfacing. India inducted its own DSRV capability to reduce dependence on foreign rescue support after the long-standing gap exposed by past submarine incidents; a DSV like INS Nipun serves as the mother/host ship that transports, launches, and recovers the DSRV.
Key Details
- India operates DSRVs based at Mumbai (west coast) and Visakhapatnam (east coast), each capable of mating with Indian and several classes of foreign submarines
- Submarine rescue is coordinated regionally and, where applicable, internationally through mechanisms like the ISMERLO (International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office), reflecting cooperative maritime safety norms even amid strategic competition
- Saturation diving allows divers to work at depth for extended periods without repeated decompression, essential for deep salvage and rescue operations (India's earlier deep-diving capability was limited before indigenous DSV induction)
INS Nipun operationalises India's second indigenous DSV, meaning both coasts now have dedicated platforms to host DSRVs, directly strengthening India's stated role as a "net security provider" and regional submarine-rescue partner in the Indian Ocean Region.
Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Maritime Contestation and India's Net Security Provider Role
India's naval doctrine identifies the Indian Ocean Region as central to its maritime security interests, given dependence on sea lines of communication (SLOCs) for energy imports and trade. "Maritime contestation" refers to the increasing presence and activity of extra-regional and regional navies (including expanded out-of-area deployments) competing for influence, access, and basing in the IOR.
Key Details
- India's "SAGAR" (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine, articulated in 2015, frames India as a net security provider in the IOR, offering capabilities like maritime domain awareness, HADR, and anti-piracy support to regional partners
- Key maritime chokepoints relevant to Indian security include the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Malacca — all sensitive to instability in West Asia
- The Western Naval Command (headquartered at Mumbai) is responsible for India's western seaboard, facing the Arabian Sea and the approaches from West Asia
The Navy Chief's remarks on "West Asia in turmoil" and threatened "global maritime highways" reference precisely these chokepoints and SLOCs; INS Nipun's induction under the Western Naval Command directly addresses preparedness on the seaboard most exposed to West Asian instability.
Indigenous Warship Building and "Aatmanirbharta" in Defence Production
India's defence procurement policy prioritises indigenous design and construction of naval platforms under the "Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)" category, part of the broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) push in defence.
Key Details
- Naval shipbuilding in India follows a phased indigenisation approach, with warship categories progressively moving from imported to domestically designed and built platforms
- Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 accords the highest preference to the "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" category in capital acquisitions
- Diving Support Vessels, like other specialised auxiliary platforms, were historically imported or leased; indigenous DSV construction reflects expanding domestic shipbuilding capability beyond frontline combatants
INS Nipun being India's "second indigenously designed and built" DSV is itself a data point on indigenisation progress in naval auxiliary platforms, relevant to GS3 defence-production questions on self-reliance in shipbuilding.
- INS Nipun: India's second indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel
- Commissioned under: Western Naval Command, based at Mumbai
- Key systems: saturation diving system, dynamic positioning, diving compression chambers, self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboats, ROVs
- Primary role: host/mother ship for India's Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), submarine rescue, underwater salvage, HADR
- India maintains DSRV capability on both the western and eastern seaboards (Mumbai and Visakhapatnam)
- India's naval doctrine (SAGAR, 2015) positions India as a "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean Region