Indian Government Approves $283M Worth Proposal To Buy Navy Rescue Vessels

The Indian Navy’s proposal to buy two deep-submergence rescue vessels (DSRV) at the cost of approximately INR 1,900 crore (USD 283 million) has been approved by the government on Thursday.

A cabinet committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared a 15-year pending proposal of acquiring the two DSRVs from James Fisher Defence, a United Kingdom-based company, the Economic Times reported, citing sources.

A DSRV is a mini submarine that is used to perform rescue operations on submerged, disabled submarines. In case of any submarine accident, a DSRV is designed for "quick deployment." It can be transported using a truck, an aircraft or a ship.

The Indian Navy has been struggling with its 13 ageing submarines, which are over 20 years old, ever since a mishap in 2014.

Two Naval officers were killed and several sailors were injured in the accident involving INS Sidhuratna, a kilo-class submarine in February 2014.

The DSRV – equipped with a pressurized chamber, sonars and cameras – can rescue almost 20 sailors in one go from a depth of 600 metres once it "mates with a stricken submarine's hatch," the ET report added.