Monday, November 10, 2008
Possible location of the accident in the Nerpa's bow.
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Late Breaking News - It was reported Nov 21, 2008 that the Nerpa would now not be leased to India but would join the Russian Navy. The tragic accident aboard the Russian Akula II submarine Nerpa is a further problem in weapon acquisition relations between India and Russia.
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The Nerpa's construction was partly financed by India in preperation for a long lease to India (10 years) together with a Russian training program on how to operate and maintain Akulas.
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It is likely that the 3 nuclear subs under construction in India (Advanced Technology Vessels (ATVs)) are a development of the Akula - therefore India needs the Nerpa/Chakra as a training vessel. The accident is sure to delay availabilty of the Nerpa/Chakra.
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India has found Russia to be a difficult supplier in the area of tanks, jet fighters, over an aircraft carrier and submarines (including the conventional Kilo subs and now with the Nerpa/Chakra) . This is not to say that other suppliers (like the US) aren't unreliable at times.
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Apparently no Indian sailors were killed or injured - nothing about Indian technicians/observers yet.
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Nerpa/Chakra was covered in my post Indian Submarines Chakra & the ATVs Make Progress of August 27, 2008.
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NEW DELHI: India's already-delayed project to lease a nuclear-powered submarine for a 10-year period from Russia, under a secret deal signed in January 2004 for an initial $650 million, seems to have taken a further hit.
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The new Russian Akula-II class attack submarine called ‘K-152 Nerpa', which met with an accident during sea trials in the Sea of Japan off Vladivostok on Saturday, killing at least 20 people and injuring another 21, is apparently the same vessel which was to be transferred to India in July-August 2009, sources said. "But no official confirmation from Russia has reached here till now.
Russian video report (in English) - with footage of Akulas
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Yes, Indian sailors have been training in Russia, in batches, for nuclear submarine operations but none of them were on board this one," said a source.
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While reports held that Nerpa's nuclear reactor was not damaged and there was no radiation leakage during the accident, which occurred due to "unsanctioned activation" of fire-fighting systems, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
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The Russian sailors and workers from Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard who died were apparently in the sections near the submarine's bow, where the fire-extinguishing systems malfunctioned, and were suffocated by fumes from Freon and other coolants. The injured, with different degrees of poisoning, were evacuated to Russian Pacific Fleet hospital at Vladivostok for treatment, even as the 8,140-tonne Nerpa with 165 other personnel later limped its way back to its operating base in the Primorye region.
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...The sea trials of Nerpa, christened INS Chakra by India, had been launched only last month. Though its construction at Amur Shipyard had begun way back in 1991, it was halted midway after Russia was hit by a financial crisis. It was only after India pumped in money that Nerpa's construction had resumed, with the understanding that India would get the submarine on a 10-year lease.
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Interestingly, in January 2004, India had also signed the $1.5billion package deal with Russia for refit of decommissioned aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and 16 MiG-29K fighters. But with the package deal now being renegotiated, India might well have to pay another $2billion to get Gorshkov by 2012, with some indications that a part of huge cost escalation could be linked to Russia demanding more for Nerpa over the initial $650million.
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The delivery schedule of the nuclear-powered submarine [Nerpa] from Russia has already been revised a couple of times due to technical hitches. Now, after the accident, it looks that even the commissioning date set for August 15 next year might not be possible."