A warship of the Indian Navy, undergoing refit at the Mumbai naval dockyard, caught fire on Wednesday. The navy reported that a junior sailor went missing, and rescue teams have been launched to look for him. All other personnel have been accounted for.
The Fire started on the multirole frigate INS Brahmaputra Sunday evening while it was being refitted at the Mumbai naval dockyard. According to the navy, the ship is now lying on its side.
“.The fire was brought under control by the ship’s crew with the help of firefighters from Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, and other ships in the harbor by Monday morning. Further actions, including sanitization checks to assess residual fire risk, were carried out,” the navy said in a statement.
It further explained that the ship began listing to one side in the afternoon. “Despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought upright. It continued to list further alongside its berth and is now resting on one side,” the navy reported.
“All personnel have been accounted for except one junior sailor, who is still being searched for. An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the incident,” the navy added.
The INS Brahmaputra is the first indigenously built ‘Brahmaputra’ class guided missile frigate, commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 2000. It is crewed by 40 officers and 330 sailors.
The ship will carry medium and close-range guns, anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, and torpedo launchers. She will be fitted with various sensors for maritime warfare and will be capable of operating Seaking and Chetak helicopters.
The displacement of INS Brahmaputra comes to 5,300 tonnes, 125 meters in length, and 14.4 meters in beam, while the speed could run higher than 27 knots.
News – Simran
