India has rushed its submarine rescue vessel in response to Indonesia SOS call to search for its sub, which went missing, north to the resort island of Bali on Wednesday.
The navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) departed from Visakhapatnam to support Indonesian Navy in Search and Rescue efforts for KRI Nanggala Indonesia, the Indian Navy said. The missing submarine had 53 members on board. “In this moment of crisis our prayers are with the Indonesia Navy, our brothers- in- arms on board KRI Nanggala and their families,” the Indian Navy tweeted.
Indonesia’s military chief, Hadi Tjahjanto said the submarine “KRI Nanggala 402” was participating in a training exercise when it missed a scheduled reporting call. Indonesian media says that the defence ministry has sought help from neighbouring India, Australia and Singapore, which have submarine rescue vessels.
The Indian Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) departed from Visakhapatnam to support Indonesian Navy in Search and Rescue efforts for KRI Nanggala Indonesia
The Defence Ministry added that the submarine lost contact after being granted clearance to dive. It said a helicopter later spotted an oil slick near the dive’s starting position. The oil spill is "highly suspected" to have come from the vessel, the submarine was carrying 49 crew members, its commander and three gunners.
The 42-year-old, German-made submarine, lost contact during a torpedo drill in the Bali Strait – a stretch of water between the islands of Java and Bali that connects to the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. The submarine sought permission to dive at 3 a.m. local time before losing contact, according to the statement released by the Indonesian Navy.
The navy said an electrical failure may have occurred during the dive, causing the submarine to lose control and impairing emergency procedures that would have allowed it to resurface. It said it believes the submarine sank to a depth of 600-700 meters (2,000-2,300 feet).
Indian Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV)
It was rehearsing for a missile-firing exercise that was to take place on Thursday where all top military brass of the country were to attend.
The country, the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, has faced growing challenges to its maritime claims in recent years, including numerous incidents involving Chinese vessels near the Natuna islands. China has been saying that Chinese fishermen are free to conduct activities in areas China claims as its traditional fishing grounds, which partly overlap Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.
It prompted Indonesia to increase its forces at the islands. Although China has been making such claims for years, dozens of Chinese fishing boats, escorted by coast guard vessels, have recently made more aggressive moves in the area and ignored Indonesian warnings to leave.
Indonesia currently has a fleet of five submarines and plans to operate at least eight by 2024.
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