NEW DELHI: The Navy’s kilo-class submarine INS Sindhughosh had a minor collision with a fishing vessel off the western coast of Mumbai, causing minor damage to the periscope of the ship. According to the Navy, the incident occurred in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
A periscope, in submarines, is used to view objects over the ship or around it.
This is not the first time INS Sindhughosh has been involved in a collision. In 2008, the submarine collided with a foreign merchant vessel, MV Leeds Castle, while it was trying to surface in the seas about 740 km from Mumbai.
According to a Navy spokesperson in New Delhi, “In a minor incident off the West Coast of India, a fishing vessel hit the periscope of the submarine which was involved in an exercise. The exercise was being conducted in pitch dark conditions.”
The kilo-class submarine did not sustain any major damage and has returned to the Mumbai dockyard for repair, which will commence soon, the spokesperson further said in a message.
“All the relevant authorities have been kept informed by the naval headquarters,” the release from the Navy added.
In January 2014, the submarine ran aground on the naval harbor in Mumbai with its personnel on board. However, no one was injured in the mishap. Sindhughosh class submarines are the Kilo class diesel-electric submarines. They are designated 877EKM, and were built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Defence Ministry.