Navy chief set to review vessel safety norms in Mumbai today

Very few life jackets and boat was overcrowded': Survivors recall horror

- Rahul Singh

NEW DELHI: Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will be in Mumbai on Friday for a firsthand assessment of the collision between a naval speedboat and a passenger ferry in Mumbai harbour - the accident on Wednesday left 14 people dead - for a visit aimed at re-emphasising issues related to safety, security and standard operating procedures, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

There will also be a special session dedicated to safety and security, with focus on the actions taken, based on a recent special task force (STF) report during the next Naval Commanders' Conference, to be chaired by Tripathi in March 2025, the officials added.

Tripathi returned to Delhi on Thursday after a four-day visit to Indonesia to boost bilateral ties.

The Mumbai-based Western Naval Command has ordered a board of inquiry, headed by a commodore, to investigate what caused the accident. On Wednesday, the navy said the speedboat was undergoing engine trials when it lost control and collided with the passenger ferry, Neel Kamal, which was carrying more than 100 passengers from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.

The accident came weeks after a fishing boat collided with an Indian Navy submarine off the Goa coast, with the freak accident sinking the boat and leaving two fishermen dead. The fishing boat, Marthoma, with 13 men on board, crashed into the submarine-class Scorpene when it was at periscope depth (15-20 feet underwater) around 70 nautical miles north-west of Goa.

Tripathi formed the STF, under a rear admiral, in July after INS Brahmaputra, a multirole frigate, tipped over at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai after a fire broke out on board the vessel, and firefighting units pumped huge quantities of water to douse the flames. A sailor was killed in that accident.