AFTER ACCIDENT, INS BETWA MAY NOT SET SAIL AGAIN
The incident took place at 1.50 pm when the Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate was being undocked
The ship that tipped over, killing two sailors and injuring 14, has suffered extensive damages.
Top naval officers feel that the way in which the INS Betwa tipped over inside the naval dockyard on Monday, her services may not be used again, as she has been severely damaged.
Two naval personnel Ashutosh Pande and Niraj Rai (both engineers) died in the accident and 14 were injured. The injured were taken to the INHS Asvini at Colaba.
The incident took place at 1.50 pm when the Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate was being undocked.
Naval spokesperson Commander Rahul Sinha said, “At about 1.50 pm today, INS Betwa, a frigate of the Indian Navy, was in the process of undocking in Naval Dockyard when she slipped from her dock blocks and tilted. Immediate action was taken to get all personnel to safety. Two sailors however, succumbed to injuries post the incident.”
Technical evaluation for making the ship upright is in progress and an inquiry into the incident has been ordered, he added.
Sources in the dockyard said that the ship has been severely damaged and even after a refit and repairs, she may not be put to use again.
In the last four to five years, the western naval command has witnessed a series of accidents and the largest one was a fire in submarine Sindhurakshak that had killed 18 personnel and officers in 2013. Little over a year ago, then Admiral Robin Dhowan had warned the western naval command asking them to cut down on human error.
Soon after the incident, senior officers visited the spot. A team of city police officers led by deputy commissioner Manoj Sharma visited the spot and registered a case of accidental death.
About the ship
INS Betwa is a Brahmaputra Class Guided Missile frigate and is named after Betwa river. She has a displacement of 3850 tons and is 126.4 metres in length. She was commissioned on July 7, 2004.
The Brahmaputra class frigates are the guided-missile frigates of the Indian Navy, designed and built in India. They have a displacement of 3850 tons and a length of 126 metres. Although of similar hull and dimension, internally, the Brahmaputra and Godavari classes have different configurations, armaments and capabilities. The shipclass has acquired its name owing to the ‘River Brahmaputra’. Other ships of the class are also named after Indian Rivers.
Betwa was a part of Task Force 54, returning from the Mediterranean, when the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflict broke out. As a part of Operation Sukoon, Betwa participated in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus.
(Source : mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com)
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