NEW DELHI: An incident of fire took place on Wednesday on board the sole operating aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. Luckily, there has been no loss of life.
The Indian Navy in its official statement said, “During a planned sortie for the conduct of trials at sea, an incident of fire was reported onboard INS Vikramaditya today 20 Jul 22. The fire was brought under control by the ship's crew using onboard firefighting systems. No casualties have been reported.”
The ship was operating off Karwar.
The Navy has ordered a board of inquiry to investigate the incident.
The 44,500 tonne INS Vikramaditya is the most potent warship serving with the Navy.
The ship has a total of 22 decks, and it has the ability to carry over 30 aircraft comprising an assortment of MiG 29K jets, Kamov 31 and Kamov 28 helicopters.
The Indian Navy is set to commission its second aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, next month.
INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier purchased by India from Russia in 2013 under a USD 2.3 billion deal, and it was renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, the legendary emperor.
The Russian-origin ship is often called a floating airfield.
The warship is about 284 metres long and its height is around 60 metres, which is like a 20-storey building from the keel to the highest point.
(With PTI inputs)