INS Brahmaputra listing on the port side after fire at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai today. Photo source: X
Mumbai: A sailor is missing after a major fire broke out onboard Indian Naval Ship (INS) Brahmaputra on the evening of July 21, 2024. However, today afternoon the ship experienced severe listing to one side (port side). It is not yet clear about chances of salvaging the frontline ship.
The guided-missile frigate almost keeled over at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard following a fire on board while undergoing refit, at the time of going to the press. A Defence Spokesperson said that 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,” the Ministry of Defence stated, adding that all personnel had been accounted for except one junior sailor, for whom the search was in progress.
An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the incident.
The 3,850-tonne multi-role Frigate of the Indian Navy was undergoing refit at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai when the fire broke out onboard the frontline ship. The fire could be brought under control today morning only after a whole night operation by the ship’s crew with the assistance of firefighters from the Naval Dockyard, and other ships in the harbour.
Further, follow-on actions including sanitisation checks for assessment of residual risk of fire were carried out.
The case of INS Brahmaputra is yet another case of damage to Indian naval ships and submarines in a little over a decade in Mumbai. In 2013, 18 crew members of the submarine Sindhurakshak died when it sank after explosions caused by a fire on board. At that time the submarine was berthed in Mumbai. Another major mishap happened in 2022, when an explosion in INS Ranvir while it was docked in Mumbai, killed three sailors.
– global bihari bureau
