Warship Collides With Merchant Vessel in Mumbai Harbor

Officials are working to prevent oil from leaking from an Indian Naval warship, following a collision with a German container ship on Sunday.

The Indian warship, INS VINDHYAGIRI and Cyprus-flagged container vessel, MV NORDLAKE collided in Mumbai Harbor Sunday, causing a fire to break out in the engine room of the VINDHYAGIRI. The vessel was brought to the navy dockyard where eight fire tankers worked to extinguish the blaze onboard.

Firefighters continued to work on extinguishing the fire Monday morning, and an additional eight fire tankers were brought in to help.

Everyone onboard the ship was evacuated and no injuries from either ship have been reported.

The collision left a large dent in the hull of the warship, allowing water to rush in and cause the ship to list. Officials say the vessel is currently resting on the seabed and will not sink. The coast guard has brought in spill response equipment in the event of an oil leak, however no such spill has been reported.

Authorities are assessing the damage to the 28-year-old warship and an investigation into the incident has been launched by the Directorate General of Shipping. A complaint known as a First Information Report (FIR) against the cargo ship has been issued and the vessel remains in the harbor. On Sunday the Jewaharlal Nehru Port Trust blamed the collision on naval personnel.