INS Kamorta, the Indian Navy’s first Project-28 (P-28) Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette has run aground during sea trials off the Hooghly near Geonkhali in East Midnapore, India.
During the ongoing sea trials, INS Kamorta encountered engine failure while it was negotiating the bends of the Hooghly River, The Times of India reports.
Shortly after the engine failure, the steering gear also jammed, diverting the ship from the navigation channel and subsequently causing it to go aground near the shore at Geonkhali.
Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), INS Kamorta is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy by the end of 2013.
Officers said the engines and steering gear failure may result in a delay in commissioning the ship with the Indian Navy, which was initially scheduled for the end of 2013.
A source said two tugs of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) were sent to the spot to tow the ship back to GRSE for inspection and necessary repairs.
A GRSE source said: "Now we will have to check the engines and the steering gear and make necessary changes."
According to the navy, extensive checks will be carried out on the ship while a team of naval designers and engineers will assess the cause for the failure of engine and the steering gear.
GRSE was previously awarded a contract by the Indian Navy to build and deliver four 109m-long and 2,500t project-28 ASW corvettes.
Equipped with integrated communication system and electronic warfare system, the Kamorta-class stealth corvettes feature anti-submarine warfare capability with a low signature of radiated underwater noise.
The ships of the class are fitted with super rapid gun mounting, anti-aircraft guns, torpedo launcher, rocket launcher and chaff launcher in addition to early-warning, navigation, fire-control radars and under-water sensors.
