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The Indian Navy has awarded a contract to Hindustan Shipyard, Vishakhapatnam, for the construction of two diving support vessels (DSV) to support the navy’s submarine operations, the Indian Ministry of Defence announced on 26 September.
The two vessels will be of 118m in length and approximately 7,650t displacement, and will be based at Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai.
Each DSV is equipped with a deep submergence rescue vessel (DSRV), one of which has already been delivered by James Fisher Defence, with the second expected by the end of 2018. The non-tethered DSRVs are capable of effecting submarine rescue up to depths of 650 meters.
The DSVs will support Indian Navy divers during missions when they must remain underwater for prolonged periods, such as submarine rescue, under water inspection, testing or salvage, and recovery of objects/ship aircraft lost at sea. The DSVs launch and recover the divers and carry related tools and equipment.
Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
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