Indian Warship Suffers Devastating Fire During Refit at Mumbai Dockyard

Tragedy struck the Indian Navy as the INS Brahmaputra, a multirole frigate, was engulfed in flames during a routine refitting operation at the Mumbai dockyard. The intense fire, which broke out on Sunday, resulted in severe damage to the warship and led to the disappearance of a junior sailor from the crew. Currently, a thorough search and rescue effort is underway to locate the missing sailor, as confirmed by the navy.

Despite the valiant efforts of the ship's crew and the collaborative support from dockyard firefighters and other vessels in the harbor, the fire raged on for a day before being finally subdued. Regrettably, the INS Brahmaputra capsized during the incident and proved unyielding to all attempts to right it. The navy has disclosed that an inquiry has been instigated to unravel the circumstances that led to this catastrophic event.

The INS Brahmaputra, constructed by the state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, was inducted into the Indian Navy in April 2000. It stands as one of the three Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigates (Project 16A), all proudly conceived and constructed in India. The warship boasts an arsenal of medium-range, close-range, and anti-aircraft guns, along with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, and torpedo launchers. Manned by a complement of 40 officers and 330 sailors, the ship represents a vital component of the Indian Navy's defense capabilities.

This distressing incident is just the latest in a series of mishaps that have occurred within the Mumbai dockyard over the past decade. In 2013, the INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian-made diesel-electric submarine, was engulfed in a major fire and explosion, ultimately sinking and claiming the lives of 18 crew members. Subsequent investigations revealed that the tragedy was attributed to procedural oversights. In 2016, the frigate INS Betwa, of the same class as the INS Brahmaputra, suffered a catastrophic mishap when it slipped off its support blocks, resulting in the loss of two lives and injuries to 15 others. Despite this setback, the INS Betwa was successfully salvaged, repaired, and restored to service in 2020.

The Indian Navy now faces the daunting task of not only addressing the aftermath of the INS Brahmaputra fire but also scrutinizing the safety protocols and operational procedures within its dockyards to prevent such distressing incidents from recurring in the future. As the search for the missing sailor continues and the inquiry into the fire commences, the entire nation stands in solidarity with the Indian Navy, mourning the loss and fervently hoping for the safe return of the missing crew member.