Keel laying ceremony for the third Indian Diving Support Craft.

According to information published by the Indian government on August 12, 2022, keel laying for the third ship of the Diving Support Craft (DSC) project was held at M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd., Kolkata.
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Keel laying ceremony for the third Indian Diving Support Craft. (Picture source: Indian government)

The contract for procurement of Five Diving Support Craft (Yards 325 to 329) for the Indian Navy was signed on 12 Feb 21 with M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd., at a total project cost of Rs 174.77 Cr.

The ships will be commissioned in the Indian Navy to provide diving assistance for ships inside and close to harbour, for underwater repairs, maintenance and salvage. The ships will be fitted with state-of-the-art diving equipment and tools for performing diving operations.

With major main and auxiliary equipment sourced from indigenous manufacturers, these ships are proud flag bearers of Make in India initiatives of the Ministry of Defence.

A diving support vessel is a ship that is used as a floating base for professional diving projects. Basic requirements are the ability to keep station accurately and reliably throughout a diving operation, often in close proximity to drilling or production platforms, for positioning to degrade slowly enough in deteriorating conditions to recover divers without excessive risk, and to carry the necessary support equipment for the mode of diving to be used.

Titagarh Wagons acquired Kolkata-based Corporated Shipyard in 2012, merging it with its subsidiary Titagarh Marines to manufacture ships for the Indian Navy, and won its first defence contract in 2017.