Indian Navy’s frontline warship INS Brahmaputra has been severely damaged after a fire broke out during its maintenance at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday evening. The ship is heavily tilted and is currently lying on its left side.
The Navy officials have confirmed that a junior sailor is missing after the incident, and a rescue operation is going on to find him. All the other personnel have been accounted the navy official added.
On Monday, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi informed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the fire incident and the resulting damage to the ship. Singh’s office reported that the Defence Minister prayed for the missing sailor’s safety and instructed the Navy Chief to take “appropriate action.”
The Indian Navy released a statement reporting the incident, which said, “A fire had broken out onboard Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra, a multi-role Frigate, on the evening of July 21 while she was undergoing refit at the naval dockyard.”
Efforts to Control the Fire and Stabilize INS Brahmaputra
The statement affirmed that “the fire was brought under control by the ship’s crew with assistance of firefighters from Naval Dockyard, Mumbai and other ships in harbour, by [Monday] morning. Further, follow-on actions including sanitisation checks for assessment of residual risk of fire were carried out.”
“Subsequently, in the afternoon, the ship experienced severe listing to one side (port side). Despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought to the upright position,” it said. “The ship continued to list further alongside her berth and is presently resting on one side,” the statement further noted.
“All personnel have been accounted for except one junior sailor, for whom the search is in progress. An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the accident,” the navy said.
The INS Brahmaputra is the first of the indigenously built ‘Brahmaputra’ class-guided missile frigate. The warship was deployed into the Indian Navy. The ship has a crew comprising 40 officers and 330 sailors.
This frigate is equipped with a variety of weaponry, including medium-range, close-range, and anti-aircraft guns, along with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedo launchers. It features an extensive array of sensors that cover all aspects of maritime warfare and can operate both Seaking and Chetak helicopters.
With a displacement of 5,300 tonnes, a length of 125 meters, and a beam of 14.4 meters, the INS Brahmaputra is capable of reaching speeds over 27 knots.
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