[國際新聞] Indian submarine hit by explosion at Mumbai port brought, control, reports, media, least

peter236

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23691324

14 August 2013 Last updated at 00:40 ET

Indian submarine hit by explosion at Mumbai port

At least 18 sailors are feared to be trapped on board an Indian submarine that caught fire after an explosion in a Mumbai dockyard, officials say.

The blast occurred shortly after midnight and it took fire-fighters several hours to douse the blaze.

Officials say the vessel was badly damaged and remains partly submerged at its berth. Rescue teams are on scene.

Many sailors managed to jump to safety, Indian media reports say. Some of the injured were taken to hospital.

It is unclear what caused the explosion on the INS Sindhurakshak but dramatic images on Indian television appear to show a large fireball illuminating the sky. Smoke from the blaze could be seen in many parts of the city.

A naval inquiry has been set up to look into the causes of the incident.

Russian-built vessel

"There are some people who are trapped on board, we are in the process of trying to rescue them, we suspect it to be in the range of 18," Navy spokesman PVS Satish was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

"We will not give up until we get to them," he added.

Officials also told the AFP news agency that divers had been deployed when the flames were put out and that they were hunting for the men on board.

The INS Sindhurakshak is said to be one of the 10 Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia between 1986 and 2000. It is equipped with Russian Club-S cruise missile system.

The vessel returned from Russia last year after undergoing an upgrade and sea trials began last October, reports said.

In February 2010, a sailor on board the submarine was killed by a fire that broke out in the battery compartment while the submarine was docked at the Vishakhapatnam naval base - it was later that year that it was sent to Russia for the refit.

This explosion comes just days after India's navy launched its first home-built aircraft carrier, hailed by officials as a "crowning glory".

Last year, India bought a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at cost of nearly $1bn (£645bn), making it part of a select group of nations to operate nuclear-powered submarines.

India and Russia are long-time allies and Russia supplies about 70% of India's military hardware.

INS Sindhurakshak timeline

    1997: INS Sindhurakshak procured by Indian navy, one of the 10 vessels in the Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia between 1986-2000
    February 2010: A fire that broke out in its battery compartment kills one sailor
    August 2010: Submarine sent for re-fit to equip it with cruise missile systems
    June 2012: Refit completed with refurbished hull and 10 years added to its 25-year service life
    October 20102: Sea trials begin for submarine
    14 August 2013: Submarine hit by explosion and fire with sailors feared trapped inside

peter236

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-14/indian-submarine-sinks-after-explosion-with-18-sailors-aboard.html

Indian Submarine Sinks With Crew After Mumbai Port Blast
By Andrew MacAskill & Kartikay Mehrotra - Aug 14, 2013 11:30 AM PT



An explosion ripped through a diesel-powered Indian submarine, killing at least some of the 18 sailors on board and dealing a blow to the nation’s growing naval ambitions.

Speaking outside parliament before heading to the accident site in Mumbai, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said he felt “very sad” about the deaths of sailors, without specifying the number killed. The explosion and subsequent fire at a navy dock occurred inside the INS Sindhurakshak just after midnight yesterday.

“While we hope for the best, we have to prepare for the worst,” Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi said at a press conference in Mumbai. He said there has been no communication with the crew since the explosion.

The blast is a setback for the Indian navy as the country seeks to bolster its military amid a buildup by neighbor China. On Aug. 10, India activated the atomic reactor on its first indigenously built submarine, and two days later unveiled its first homegrown aircraft carrier.

“The navy has certainly lost some of the sheen it has built up over the last week,” said Uday Bhaskar, a former Indian Navy commodore and now a defense analyst at the Society for Policy Studies in New Delhi. “Compared with other navies that operate submarines, India has a very good track record.”

Bhaskar said the explosion was the worst-ever disaster for India’s submarine program. The Sindhurakshak, whose name means “protector of the ocean,” is a Russian-built Kilo class submarine that returned to Mumbai earlier this year after a $133 million refit at a shipyard in Russia, according to India’s defense ministry.

Cause Unknown

The blast occurred at the Navy Dockyard in Mumbai less than a mile from the financial capital’s luxury Taj Mahal hotel. It took the Mumbai fire brigade more than two hours to bring the blaze under control as flames illuminated the night sky.

Joshi said the fire was caused by two almost simultaneous explosions. While the cause of the fire is not known, it could have been triggered by ammunition, fuel or oxygen bottles on board, he said.

Divers searching for rescuers have managed to open one of the vessel’s escape hatches and were attempting to create watertight compartments so the sub could be emptied of water and re-floated for examination. The number of casualties was lower because only the night-watch team was aboard, he said.

In 2010, a sailor on board the submarine was killed by a fire that broke out in the battery compartment while it was docked at naval base in southern India, Press Trust of India reported at the time. The ship was sent for an overhaul in Russia later that year.

Kursk Disaster

There have been several accidents aboard Russian-made submarines in the past 15 years. Twenty Russians died on a vessel when a faulty firefighting system was accidentally activated during trials in the Sea of Japan in 2008. The Kursk sank in August 2000 after an onboard explosion in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 on board.

India plans to increase its defense spending by 14 percent in the next financial year as it modernizes its military to counter traditional rivals as well as China’s rising power.

In the last week, India has achieved two military milestones, activating the nuclear reactor aboard the INS Arihant submarine, and on Aug. 12 unveiling its first home-built aircraft carrier. The 37,500-ton vessel was unveiled at a shipyard in the southern city of Kochi but won’t enter active service for several years.

Indian Fleet

India’s navy has a fleet of 15 submarines, including 10 diesel-electric vessels similar to Sindhurakshak. They have a maximum diving depth of 300 meters (984 feet), a top speed of 18 knots and are able to operate for 45 days with a crew of 53 people, according to the navy’s website.

India last year inducted a Russian-built nuclear-powered attack submarine into its navy at a cost of $900 million that allows longer missions and a faster response to threats. The rest of the submarines are more than a decade old, with half of the fleet commissioned in the 1980s.

Rahul Bedi, an analyst and correspondent for Jane’s Defense Weekly, said yesterday the sinking was a major loss for the country’s naval ambitions, with only about half the sanctioned number of submarines now available.

“The submarine fleet has been a worry for the navy for many, many years but for reasons of inefficiency the ministry of defense has taken it very lightly,” Bedi said.