INS Sindhurakshak catches fire at naval dockyard in Mumbai

[happy]

INS Sindhurakshak probe may take 6 more months

It has been 48 days since the INS Sindhurakshak was sunk in Mumbai Naval dockyard after a series of explosions and a devastating fire and it still remains a mystery what went wrong that night.

The Indian Navy has not been able to even begin its probe into the loss of the Russian-built submarine though soon after the mishap Indian Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi had said a Board of Inquiry (BoI) under a Commodore-rank officer would probe the mishap and submit its report within four weeks.

Commodore Deepak Bisht was promptly named as the officer to head the probe. Insiders do not smell a rat in the probe being a non-starter and point out that Admiral Joshi was perhaps too enthusiastic in stipulating such an unreasonably short deadline for completion of the probe, in the first place.

The reason is not far to seek. The kilo-class submarine has been resting at the sea bed since August 14 and it was many days after the mishap that the Indian Navy's divers managed to get inside a small portion of the boat. They have not been able to even locate all the dead bodies thus far as only eleven bodies have so far been recovered and that too after 1,500 hours of operations by the naval divers since the mishap. There were 18 navy personnel on board at the time of the mishap.

Perhaps when Admiral Joshi made the announcement that the probe would be completed within four weeks he was unaware of the fact that it had taken four months for the two Dutch firms to salvage Russian nuclear submarine Kursk after it exploded and sank in Barents Sea in August 2000.

Russian help offer

The Russians were quick to offer all help in investigating the mishap and salvaging the submarine. However, sources say the Indians have been rather lukewarm towards the offer.

Though the Indians have not placed on record their reasons for not accepting the Russian offer of help, it could perhaps be assumed that the Russians are being viewed as a party with vested interests in this context.

The INS Sindhurakshak was purchased at cost of $113 million from Russia 16 years ago. India spent another $156 million for mid-life refit-cum-upgrade of the boat in Russia and the vessel had rejoined the Indian Navy in January this year only.

The submarine is still under the Russian warranty, valid till January 2014. This is likely to be another reason for the Indians in not accepting the Russian help offer.

However, it is unlikely that the Indians would like to invoke the warranty clause with the Russians, given the extremely close political ties between the two countries. In any case, it seems quite improbable that the submarine would be salvaged and brought ashore before the Russian warranty expires in January 2014.

Salvage operation the first priority

The Indian Navy's first priority is to salvage the sunken submarine and bring it ashore for carrying out detailed forensic examination that could pin-point the exact cause of the mishap.

The forensic tests will help enable the investigators determine whether the missiles on the fully-loaded submarine exploded by accident or due to sabotage.

Accident or sabotage is the million dollar question facing the investigators. But to make a final determination on this point, the investigators need forensic evidence. They cannot do this till the boat is fished out.

A salvage operation is not easy. It will take time, perhaps six months, and will also cost lot of money.

The Indian Navy will soon float a global tender or the Request for Proposal (RFP) for salvaging the submarine. Five Indian and global companies have submitted their initial bids for the purpose after carrying out inspections of the boat lying submerged under almost nine metres.

Significantly, the Indian defence ministry has relaxed the Defence Procurement Manual rules so that a world class agency can be hired for the salvage operation.

Commodore Bisht went on record as saying that the Indian Navy's first priority is to expeditiously ink the contract after the RFP is floated for the salvage operation that could take a few months.

Preliminary findings

Defence minister AK Antony had said in a statement in the parliament on August 19 that the explosions that triggered the sinking of INS Sindhurakshak were caused by "possible igniting" of its weapons.

A preliminary probe by the Indian Navy has indicated that the multiple explosions that triggered an inferno had begun in the fully-loaded weapons department was perhaps because of an accident or mishandling of ammunition.

If the final probe report finds inadvertent handling of the ammunition or sabotage as the possible causes of the submarine's destruction, Russia would obviously not be held accountable. It would be a different story if the probe determines that explosions on the submarine started because of the malfunctioning of the ammunitions and complete failure of the inbuilt security mechanism.

Whichever the scenario, Indian officials are certain that Indo-Russian ties will not be harmed because of the Sindhurakshak episode.

The writer is a New Delhi-based journalist. His Twitter handle is @Kishkindha.

INS Sindhurakshak probe may take 6 more months | Russia & India Report

 

[Neil]

INS Sindhurakshak: Why India won't invoke the warranty clause with Russia


First, upfront, here is the hard news. India is not going to invoke the warranty clause with regard to the INS Sindhurakshak, the Russian-built diesel-electric submarine which sunk after multiple explosions and a ravaging fire at the Mumbai naval dockyard on 14 August this year, a key Indian official familiar with the issue told this writer on condition of anonymity.

In fact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had substantive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed ways to further deepen the Indo-Russian cooperation in the defence arena at the just concluded the 14th Indo-Russian annual summit in Moscow. The INS Sindhurakshak episode came up for discussions at the summit
.

There is a circumstantial evidence for this. Had Indians been interested in invoking the warranty clause in the Sindhurakshak contract, they would have given the first right of entry to the Russians to access the sunken submarine for conducting forensic investigations to determine the causes of the disaster. They have not done that. In fact, more than two months have gone by and Russians have not been allowed to access the boat despite Moscow's offer of help within hours of the Indian Navy's biggest peacetime disaster taking place.

What's more, the Russians are not going to be given access to Sindurakshak anytime soon, informed sources in the Indian military establishment said. In all probability, they will be roped in only after the Indian investigations are completed. In any case, the boat is still lying in the deep waters of the Arabian Sea and it won't be before February or even later that India, with the help of international expert salvagers, brings the boat ashore.

Even if assuming that the vessel is salvaged before the Russian warranty expires in January 2014, there is no way that the Russians could be slapped with a notice to fulfill its contractual obligations and pay up for the damages. There are several technical arguments tinged with legal overtones, an informed source close to the Indian military establishment told this writer. One, if Russians are to be told to pay up for the accident, India has to have credible reasons that triggered the incident – whether it was sabotage or human error or some technical flaws. In the first two scenarios, the Russians cannot be held responsible.

If the accident took place because of technical flaws in the submarine's weapons or charging systems or anything that the Russians dealt with then only they can be proceeded against for demanding compensation. But then to do this, the Russians have to be the first ones to board the damaged boat or else they can easily claim that since they were not given access to the vessel the Indian forensic investigations can hardly be trusted.

The second reason for India not invoking the warranty clause is diplomatic and political. True, India ended up spending over a billion dollars on INS Sindhurakshak — first for purchase and then for an expensive mid-life upgrade — it is petty amount when one considers the extremely close political ties between the two sides. Invoking a warranty clause will tantamount to an unfriendly gesture and in any case the Russians are going to contest it tooth and nail. To top it all, all that can happen only when the boat is salvaged and technical and forensic examinations are completed.

This has not happened and is unlikely to happen in near future. So why take this cantankerous approach in the first place? This seems to be the Indian thinking. India has been having close defence relations with Russia for over half a century and there is not one single instance when India has sought to put Russia in the dock for Moscow's perceived sins of omission and commission. The latest case pertains to the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov/INS Vikramaditya which is finally going to handed over to Indian Defence Minister AK Antony in Russia on 16 November.

The Russians have missed over a dozen deadlines for delivering Vikramaditya to India. If India wanted it could invoke the penalty clause as per the contract and ask the Russians to pay for being late on delivery. But the Indians never exercised that option, though the price of the aircraft carrier grew manifold as a result of the delays on part of the Russians. In a nutshell, the Indian strategy is to resolve all issues pertaining to Sindhurakshak in a friendly and amiable manner in the larger and long-term political interests. Invoking the warranty clause in the case of the Sindhurakshak disaster will only draw bad blood and spoil the Indo-Russian bonhomie.



INS Sindhurakshak: Why India won't invoke the warranty clause with Russia | idrw.org

 

[ladder]

Indian Navy hopeful of using submarine that sank

The navy hopes to see sunken submarine Sindhurakshak operational again, Navy chief Admiral D.K. Joshi said Tuesday.

The navy chief said the bidding process is on for salvaging the frontline Russian-made Kilo class submarine which sunk after a major fire accident Aug 14, killing all 18 crew members on board.

Admiral Joshi said five agencies had initially bid for salvaging the Sindhurakshak. Of them, two have been shortlisted and invited for commercial bids.

"The bidding process should conclude any day," he said.

"We are hopeful of using it after it is salvaged," he added.

The navy chief said a separate review board will be formed "the moment the boat is floated" to test its condition.

"The board will have naval architects and maritime engineers... hull survey will be undertaken. Depending on the finding, a decision will be taken (on using the submarine)," he said.

Asked about the investigation in the causes of the accident, Admiral Joshi said "any final conclusion will only be drawn after the submarine is afloat".

On the question of the ordnance on board the submarine posing any threat, he said the investigations suggested the ordnance was "stable".

He added that the agencies that will salvage the submarine will also have experts to handle the ordnance.

Indian Navy hopeful of using submarine that sank | Business Standard

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Recovering Sindhurakshak: Hundreds of crores to be spent on salvage operation

MUMBAI: The Centre and experts from the Indian Navy have shortlisted three foreign marine salvage operating companies for recovering the submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, which sunk at the naval dockyard on August 14 following a series of explosions in its forward portions. Out of the three, the final company will be chosen in the next few days and the cost for the salvage operation is estimated at around Rs 500 crore.

A defence source said according to the report submitted by the salvage companies, around 40 days will be required to lift the sunken submarine out of the water.

Five salvage operating companies, including an Indian firm, applied for the job and each of them sent trained divers into the sea to ascertain possible methods of salvaging the 16-year-old vessel that exploded, killing 18 crew members on board. Based on the reports, three of the companies have so far been shortlisted; the two others' methods were not found technically too sound. "All three have qualified technically. In the next few days, the government will choose one of them, based on the salvage costs they have quoted. The government deals with the operation cost. I am neither aware of it nor will it be right on my part to comment on it," said Vice-Admiral (Flag Officer Commanding-In-Chief, Western Naval Command) Shekar Sinha during a press meet onboard INS Viraat on Tuesday, a day before the Navy Day on December 4.

A defence source said India bought INS Sindhurakshak in 1997 for $113 million and recently got it refitted for $156 million or around Rs 800 crore. "The salvage operation for the sunken submarine is estimated to cost around Rs 500 crore. It will also take a while to complete the entire exercise as 90% of the ordnance on the vessel is still intact. Among the five salvage companies, Svitzer Ocean Towage, Titan & Gol Consortium, SMIT Salvage, Resolve Salvage & Fire and Arihant Ship Breakers, the government is now having discussions with three of the shortlisted firms. Based on their technical reports, they will finalize the exact amount," the source said. "Normal gas-cutters cannot be used to open up the vessel as it can trigger blasts. So, equipment using the water-jet technology will be required and that can cost $8 million. The technology's operators, who charge $2,000 a day, will also have to be called from abroad."

According to Sinha, the final report in the INS Sindhurakshak explosion is yet to be prepared. "The final report can be prepared only after the Board of Inquiry Committee enters the sub after it is lifted. The team will then conduct the chemical analysis to ascertain the cause for the explosion. It is too early to jump to the conclusion. Also, the fleet of 16 submarines is going to undergo tests to check if all the vessels are in a proper condition," he said. After the explosion, divers could not go anywhere close to the submarine for three-four days. "Due to high temperature around the sunken submarine, the divers were unable to enter initially. Before sending them into the vessel, the divers were trained blind-folded inside a similar submarine," he said.

Recovering Sindhurakshak: Hundreds of crores to be spent on salvage operation - The Times of India

 

[Armand2REP]

500 crore to raise it, but the thing has been submerged for months. A refit would cost more than a new boat!

 

[pmaitra]

500 crore to raise it, but the thing has been submerged for months. A refit would cost more than a new boat!

There are other benefits to it. We can cut open and complete a thorough post-mortem, not only to understand what exactly caused the accident, but how it was made. Plenty of people get run over by trains, and medical students study those cadavers, and eventually become surgeons and doctors. The wreck of this submarine may be used for a similar purpose.

 

[happy]

There are other benefits to it. We can cut open and complete a thorough post-mortem, not only to understand what exactly caused the accident, but how it was made. Plenty of people get run over by trains, and medical students study those cadavers, and eventually become surgeons and doctors. The wreck of this submarine may be used for a similar purpose.

OT but to be honest, Medicos are having live practice not on bodies but on people . Results : more people ending up as bodies . @drkrn

 

[happy]

Sindhurakshak salvage: all eyes on technology

New Delhi, Feb. 14: With the navy having contracted a US-based firm to salvage its submarine that sank last August in Mumbai, the defence establishment is now watching the technology that will play out in the Western Naval Command to recover the boat.

The last major submarine-recovery operation was that of the Russian nuclear boat, the K-141 Kursk that sank in the Barents Sea in the year 2000. The Kursk was recovered nearly a year later from 130 metres below the surface by a conglomerate of companies led by a Dutch firm.

The Kursk was a much larger boat than India's INS Sindhurakshak that sank at the South Breakwaterin Mumbai's naval dockyard on August 14 in just about eight metres of water killing 18 of its crew.

It is suspected that a torpedo in the weapons compartment of the submarine exploded. The cause is yet to be precisely determined.

"Every such operation is unique," said a naval officer. The US firm that has been contracted for about Rs 240 crore is the Resolve Marine Group that also has an Indian subsidiary.

The navy requires that the INS Sindhurakshak be preferably recovered "even-keel" — meaning with its right side up — and in one piece, lifted and be dry-docked. The salvage team will also have to clear the wreck of the submarine of unexploded ordnance.

"We assess that in six months the dangers of the unexploded ordnance — whatever is left — have probably been neutralised by the seawater but one can never be too sure," said the officer.

Even before the salvagers have figured out how to pull out the Sindhurakshak, an understanding of what exactly happened to the boat would involve, broadly, four stages:

Breaking it free of the bottom: The Sindhurakshak has settled on the bed of the sea and its keel has buried itself into the seabed for about half a metre. The salvagers have to ensure that it comes unstuck. In effect, they have to devise a mechanism to prise out the 3,000-tonne submarine ensuring that in the process it does not tip over. The navy and the salvagers will have to look at de-watering technologies to make the submarine buoyant for this purpose.

Surfacing: The salvagers will then have to steady the boat and work on making it buoyant. This could involve welding hooks into its hull; then pass cables through the hooks to pull it to the surface. Alternatively, to make it buoyant, they may also fix slings around the hull. The salvagers could consider attaching pontoons to the submarine. The pontoons — buoyant devices for flotation — may have to be fashioned in a way that they can be "saddled" to the hull.

Lifting: This could involve both the attachment of the pontoons and pulling with cables attached to cranes that will have to be erected over the boat and spaced in such a manner that the wreck does not break, bend or twist. After it has been surfaced, it would have to be pulled free of the water and transported and placed in a dry-dock.

Assessment: It is in the dry-dock that investigators would be expected to comb through the wreck to determine what happened.

At every stage of the process the salvagers would have to take a call on whether to bring out the wreck in one piece — as the navy would prefer — or break it into compartments. That decision will be taken on the "integrity" of the hull. The explosions are reported to have twisted both the hull and the compartments in the innards of the Sindhurakshak.

Apart from the technological challenges involved in going through this entire process, one of the most difficult issues is the lack of visibility underwater in the naval dockyard. Navy divers have reported that just about a foot below the surface the water is so dark they are near-blind. The divers had to feel their way through the submarine in recovering the bodies — and their parts — of the 18 crew who were killed on August 14 when the Sindhurakshak went down.

In bringing up the Sindhurakshak's wreck, every "dive" will be decided after checking tidal conditions. The actual lifting will also factor in wave motion. But in the waters of the dockyard that may not be a big factor.

The salvagers have told the navy that it would take at least 45 days to bring in the equipment they think the recovery will involve. Simultaneously, the divers and specialists from the company will be familiarised in detail with the EKM (Kilo)-class submarines in the naval fleet.

This has security compulsions that the navy is wary of. But the salvagers must know each and every compartment of the class of submarines to be able to "feel" their way about and through the wreck of the Sindhurakshak.

Apart from familiarising with the class of submarines that the Sindhurakshak belonged to, the salvagers will also "rehearse" the operation with a mock-up. The technology to be used will be determined through detailed computer simulation. The navy is reluctant to hazard a guess on how long it might take. After insistent questions one officer said it could take three to four months.

 

[cobra commando]

Sindhurakshak may have been sabotaged: probe - The Hindu

 

[ladder]

INS Sindhurakshak fire: 'Sabotage' angle in report is disturbing

- See more at: INS Sindhurakshak fire: 'Sabotage' angle in report is disturbing - Hindustan Times

 

[t_co]

Is Resolve's subsidiary the only entity in India that can extract the Sindhurakshak?

 

[ladder]

Is Resolve's subsidiary the only entity in India that can extract the Sindhurakshak?

Selected through global tender.

 

[cobra commando]

2,500kg Trinitrotoluene blows a hole in INS Sindhurakshak's
salvage operations


2,500kg Trinitrotoluene blows a hole in INS Sindhurakshak's salvage operations | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

 

[Sea Eagle]

The salvage of INS Sindhurakshak that blew up and sank last August has entered a critical phase, with the onset of monsoon in Mumbai around June 10 likely to slow down efforts to retrieve the Kilo-class submarine.

INS Sindhurakshak salvage operation enters crucial phase - Hindustan Times

----

Also IN chief said that an inquiry will be ordered after the submarine has been salvaged

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Salvage firm lifts stricken Sindhurakshak off Mumbai harbor floor

A salvage firm has raised the stricken naval submarine INS Sindhurakshak in Mumbai harbour on Tuesday evening. Sources say that the submarine which exploded and sank on August 14 last year killing 18 crew, was slowly lifted from the harbor floor where it lay for nearly ten months and placed on a special barge. Indian naval personnel hoisted the naval ensign on the submarine.

The salvage ahead of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's visit to the Mumbai dockyard on Saturday June 7 where he will visit the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and commission two Coast Guard patrol vessels, Achook and Agrim.

A navy spokesperson would only confirm that the salvage operation was underway. "The entire operation might take between 48 and 72 hours," the spokesperson informed. Defence minister Arun Jaitley is slated to visit the naval dockyard in Mumbai on Saturday where he will commission two Coast Guard patrol craft.

A notice on the website of the salvage firm Resolve Marine said that a team of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts had successfully disarmed the live ordnances onboard the submarine. 'Resolve is now planning to use its custom-built chain pullers to raise the submarine and return it to the Indian Navy on a specially modified barge.'

The salvage of the 2300- ton submarine will finally allow the naval Board of Inquiry to finally move ahead on establishing the cause of the explosion, naval officials said. The explosion is believed to have originated in one of the forward compartments that contained torpedoes and missiles. The submarine was being loaded with armament when the explosion took place shortly past midnight on August 14. "By studying the wreckage, torpedoes and missiles, we will know the exact sequence of events that led to the blast," a naval official said.

Vice Admiral KN Sushil, a veteran submariner and the former Southern Naval commander says the navy should constitute a special team comprising naval architects and chemical analysts to minutely study the Sindhurakshak wreckage like forensicologists would a crime scene. "It is critical to establish the cause of the blast because many of our operational procedures may have to be revised," he says.

The navy awarded the contract to salvage the submarine to Resolve Marine Group, the Indian subsidiary of an American firm, for Rs.240 crore. The salvage is to be completed before the onset of the south-west monsoons this month. It is unlikely the submarine will ever return to service.

SINDHURAKSHAK SALVAGE SEQUENCE:

1. Two salvage barges approach the sunken submarine.

2. Chain pullers loop around the hull of the Sindhurakshak.

3. Submarine lifted above water by salvage barge.

4. Submarine lowered onto special submersible barge.

5. Submarine sits on barge.

6. Barge is then floated. It lifts the submarine.

7. Submarine brought to surface.

WHAT THE NAVY PLANS TO DO WITH THE SINDHURAKSHAK:

1. Remove silt from the first compartment where torpedoes and missiles were stored. Blast supposed to have originated here.

2. Look for clues on what triggered the blast that destroyed the submarine.

3. Step back and study the damage to reconstruct the sequence of events.


Read more at: Salvage firm lifts stricken Sindhurakshak off Mumbai harbor floor : North, News - India Today

 

[Kunal Biswas]

I hope to see the submarine ..

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

How Sunken Submarine INS Sindhurakshak will be lifted ( In Pictures ) | idrw.org
.
@Kunal Biswas sir , here is photos

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Sunken Submarine INS Sindhurakshak to be fished out within 72 hours | idrw.org

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Sunken INS Sindhurakshak Disarmed | idrw.org

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

INS Sindhurakshak finally brought to surface | idrw.org