Focus: Gas Leak On Warship 'INS Kolkata' Kills Naval Officer

By Priya Rathod | INNLIVE

DIRECT REPORT A Commander-rank naval officer lost his life today when an explosion took place aboard INS Kolkata at the Mazgaon Dockyard in Mumbai, due to the malfunctioning of the carbon dioxide unit in the engine room. 

The Commander-rank in the Navy is equivalent to the rank of Lt Col in the army or a Wing Commander in the air force. The INS Kolkata, which is the first of the stealth guided-missile destroyers of its class, was scheduled to be commissioned later this month after a delay of four years.
As per initial reports the navy has confirmed the death of its officer although the name of the victim has not been released so far. The INS Kolkata was under the operational control of its builder Mazgaon Dock Limited when the mishap happened during the trials of its machinery. 

It is believed that the unfortunate officer had inhaled large amount of toxic fumes caused by the gas leakage leading to his death although an official confirmation is awaited in this regard. Few workers of the dockyard also had to rushed to the hospital after the accident at Yard-701. 

The Kolkata-class is India's most advanced destroyer that can be armed with BrahMos supersonic missiles, anti-submarine weapons, naval gun systems for close range defence from air attacks besides state-of-the-art sensors and radars. The mishap took place just more than a week after fire and smoke incident on INS Sindhuratna off the Mumbai coast, in which two officers lost their lives and seven sailors were taken ill. 

This is the 12th mishap involving Naval assets over the last seven months. The biggest mishap occurred when the INS Sindhurakshak sank inside the Mumbai harbour killing all 18 personnel on board on 14 August. Earlier this month, INS Airavat, an amphibious warfare vessel, ran aground after which the commanding officer was stripped of his command duties. 

After the sinking of the INS Sindhurakshak, one of the mishaps involved INS Betwa which was damaged after probably hitting some underwater object. India's leading minesweeper, the INS Konkan that was undergoing repairs in Vizag, also caught fire and suffered major damage to its interiors. 

The Pondicherry-class minesweeper was getting a refit at a dry dock when the incident occurred. After the Sindhuratna incident on 26 February, Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi resigned taking "moral responsibility" over the spate of mishaps involving naval warships.