Two days after an Indian Navy speedboat collided with a ferry off the Mumbai coast resulting in the death of 14 people, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Friday assessed vessel safety norms at the Western Naval Command headquarters.

This is the second incident in over a month, with an Indian Navy submarine on transit along the West Coast hit by a fishing vessel Marthoma, carrying 13 on board, on November 21.

The Chief of Naval Staff held a meeting with top officials to take stock of the incident. He was also given a presentation of the Navy’s preparedness. Admiral Tripathi conducted an aerial inspection of the place where the incident occurred late Wednesday afternoon.

A Indian Navy sailor was among those who died in the incident which happened when the Navy speedboat rammed into the ferry that was sailing to the Elephanta Island – a popular tourist attraction.

The ferry, ‘Neel Kamal’, was carrying more than 100 passengers and capsized due to the impact of the crash. Search and rescue operations were on by 8 Indian Navy craft and a helicopter, apart from coast guard vessels and marine police. Efforts are on to trace two passengers from the ferry still reportedly missing.

Panel set up

On December 18, a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and rammed into Neel Kamal off Karanja, Mumbai.

So far, 99 passengers have been rescued and taken for medical examination.

A Naval personnel and 2 representatives of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) onboard the Naval craft lost their lives in the accident.

The Indian Navy has constituted a board of inquiry to probe the accident and “establish the facts of the case”.

Simultaneously, Mumbai police has registered a case against the Navy craft driver at Colaba police station, amid videos on social media showing the speeding boat ramming into the ferry.

In the FIR, the police have invoked Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to causing death by negligence, actions that endanger the personal safety or life of others, rash or negligent navigation of a vessel and acts of mischief that cause wrongful loss or damage to individuals or the public.

accidents in the past

Though latest official data is not available, earlier the government had told the parliament that in three years between 2011 and 2014, 24 accidents (8 per year) involving Indian Navy ships and submarines occurred.

Naval accidents have led to the resignation of former chief Admiral DK Joshi, after two officers were killed in a fire on INS Sindhuratna in 2014. The year before, Russian-built submarine INS Sindhurakshak sank after an explosion, killing 18 sailors.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report revealed in 2017 shocking lapses that led to the two worst Indian naval accidents. One of the findings of the Naval board of inquiry accessed by CAG stated, “Submarine authorities concerned did not properly assess the crew fatigue, besides, the submarine was holding ammunition nearing life expiry.”