2 submarines collide in naval jetty

Two submarines of the Indian Navy suffered minor damage in a collision at a jetty in the harbour when one of the vessels was attempting parallel berthing with the other.

Two submarines of the Indian Navy suffered minor damage in a collision at a jetty in the harbour when one of the vessels was attempting parallel berthing with the other.

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No one was injured in the incident. Navy officers at the headquarters in New Delhi termed the incident as minor.

“It is a minor incident that took place 10 days ago. A submarine was attempting a parallel berthing alongside another, which is a routine practice, at the Navy jetty in the Mumbai harbour,” a naval officer said.

Since there was no damage to any equipment or weapon system, the Navy said a minor repair to the submarine will be carried out locally.

Officers said these types of minor incidents take place regularly while attempting parallel berthing. But the officers refused to identify the type of submarines that collided.

The Navy has 16 submarines in its fleet, of which 10 are Kilo class submarines bought from the Russians, four are HDW types and another two are Foxtrot class. One of the Foxtrot class submarines will be decommissioned from the Navy this month.

The Navy plans to induct six more submarines into its fleet in the next five years under the Scorpene project underway in Mazagaon docks. It is also looking for a follow-on project for the Scorpenes and is searching for a second production line for which private shipyards too are being considered.