A large search and rescue operation is underway off the west coast of India after one of the Indian Navy’s submarines and a local fishing boat collided. Few details have been released on the incident but the Navy and Coast Guard confirmed the search and rescue operation which they said is also being coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai.
The Navy in a brief statement confirmed that 11 crewmembers from the fishing boat have been rescued but two others are reported missing. Six ships from the Navy and aircraft are involved in the search. Additional assets, including from the Coast Guard, have been diverted to the area to augment the search efforts.
The collision is reported to have taken place yesterday, November 21, in the afternoon or evening about 70 nautical miles northwest of Goa, a state south of Mumbai on India’s west coast facing the Arabian Sea. The Navy in its statement said the fishing vessel collided with its submarine while transiting along the west coast. The Indian submarine fleet is known to have a base near Mumbai.
Media reports are identifying the submarine as one of the six Indian Scorpene class vessels, among the newest and most equipped in the Indian Navy. They are diesel-electric submarines displacing about 1,600 tons and 221 feet in length (67.5 meters). The submarines are domestically built with the first commissioned in 2017 based on a design by France’s Navy Group. India recently announced plans to build three more submarines of this class.
The submarine involved in the incident has not been identified but according to the media, it suffered minor damage and continued its transit after the search and rescue operation was launched. The Indian Navy has ordered a “high-level investigation” into the circumstances of the incident.
