NEW DELHI: An Indian warship that tipped over at a Mumbai dockyard last December has been salvaged to its upright position at a cost of ₹20 crore. The freak accident left two sailors dead and 14 injured.
INS Betwa, a Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigate, slipped on the dock blocks during a refit on December 5, with many fearing that the 3,850tonne frigate would be written off. Betwa is on an even keel now, navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said.
Two days after the frigate overturned in Mumbai, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said “miscalculation of balance” may have been a reason it keeled over.
He said a warship’s balance could get disturbed during a refit as a lot of machinery and fixtures were removed. The navy sought the help of foreign experts to salvage the warship as it does not have a crane big enough to lift a ship of Betwa’s size.
The contract was awarded to the Indian arm of US-based Resolve Marine Group to bring the ship to level position, paving the way for its refit to continue at Duncan/Hughes dock in Mumbai.
A board of inquiry to ascertain what went wrong has been completed and is being examined by the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command.
The investigation was headed by Rear Admiral Deepak Bali, flag officer offshore defence advisory group.
The 126-metre vessel tipped over while it was being undocked and its mast hit the ground.