Fire erupts at Varuna Dock of Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam

A fire was reported at the Varuna Dock of the Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Thursday, 19 August 2021. According to a release, by the Defense PRO Visakhapatnam, the fire was brought under control. No injury to personnel or property was reported.

The Defence PROVisakhapatnamhas stated that the fire has been brought under control expeditiously.

The fire accident is not the first such incident. In June 2019, a naval ship under construction in Western Naval Command caught fire. The fire mishap left one civilian worker dead and another with third-degree burns. In August 2013, another major accident took place under the same naval command. The Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuraksha exploded. The fire mishap left the submarine sinking and also caused the loss of 18 Navy personnel.

The Visakhapatnam dockyard has been instrumental in supplying and repairing oxygen cylinders during the first and the second wave of COVID-19. The naval command airlifted a team of specialists from Visakhapatnam to the area of need. The dockyard teams also provided compressors that were being manufactured within the naval dockyard.