Mumbai: A fire broke out on the Indian Navy’s guided missile frigate INS Brahmaputra at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard on Sunday evening. The 3,850-tonne multi-role frigate, which was undergoing refit, suffered damage and is now heavily tilting to one side despite efforts to bring it upright.
The fire was brought under control by the ship’s crew with the assistance of firefighters from Naval Dockyard, Mumbai {ND (Mbi)} and other ships in the harbour, by the morning of 22 Jul 24. All personnel have been accounted for, except one junior sailor who is currently missing and being searched for.
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. The ship continued to list further alongside her berth and is presently resting on one side.
Cause of the fire and ‘sinking’ of INS Brahmaputra will be determined by an enquiry. Not clear yet about chances of salvaging the frontline ship. Below a file pix of the ship and of the actual fire and its ‘listing’ on the port side pic.twitter.com/XkBpFp2kzv
— Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) July 22, 2024
Raksha Mantri Office took X to inform about the incident mentioning Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s concern about the accident and for the missing sailor,
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has apprised RM Shri @rajnathsingh of the fire breakout onboard Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra and the damages caused by the incident.
RM prays for the safety of missing sailor.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) July 22, 2024
This incident has raised concerns about naval safety, with reports suggesting over 50 similar incidents involving ships and submarines in the country over the past 15 years. The Indian Navy has ordered an inquiry to investigate the accident.
