Centre clears Rs 1,900 crore deal for Navy to acquire two deep-submergence rescue vessels

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday cleared the long-pending Rs 1,900 crore deal for the Navy to acquire two deep-submergence rescue vessels (DSRVs), which are basically mini submarines that dive to 'mate' with 'disabled' submarines to extricate sailors trapped deep underwater.

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The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, cleared the acquisition of the two critically-required DSRVs from a UK-based company, James Fisher Defence, sources said.

Grappling with rudimentary submarine rescue capabilities, the Navy's quest for acquiring two DSRVs has been hanging fire for over 15 years now, as earlier reported by TOI .

Fortunately, the force has not suffered a major accident while a submarine has been out at sea. The Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna had managed to surface after a mishap in the Arabian Sea in February 2014, though two officers were killed and several others injured in the incident. There were 94 sailors on board at that time.

The acquisition of DSRVs is all the more important since the Navy is grappling with 13 ageing diesel-electric submarines, all of them well over 20 years old.
Equipped with pressurised chambers, sonars and cameras, a DSRV can rescue around 20 sailors at a time from depths of over 600 metres after 'mating' with the stricken submarine's hatch.

The Navy's existing "submarine escape pressurized suits'' can be used only for relatively shallow depths, while diving support ship INS Nireekshak can launch "bells" till about 175 metres.

India had inked a contract in 1997 with the US Navy for its "global submarine rescue fly-away kit'' service, paying an initial $734,443, as an "interim measure" to the DSRVs.

Then, in June 2000, Navy formally initiated the case for two DSRVs, which was "approved in principle" by CCS in November 2002.