Water ingress onboard INS Kesari reported at Vizag Naval Dockyard; no casualties reported

INS Kesari, Indian Navy’s amphibious warfare ship, is used for amphibious operations, troop deployment, and humanitarian assistance. | Photo Credit: File photo An incident of water ingress was reported on board the Indian Navy’s amphibious warfare ship, INS Kesari, while the vessel was berthed at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.Emergency protocols were activated immediately after naval personnel detected water accumulation in one of the compartments beneath the waterline.The naval authorities deployed high-capacity de-watering equipment and specialised salvage teams to manage the situation, prevent further inflows, and ensure the safety of all the personnel on board. Water ingress—the unintentional entry of seawater into internal ship compartments—can jeopardise hull stability and critical machinery if unmitigated.Confirming the incident, an official spokesperson of the Indian Navy from the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) issued a statement.“An incident of water ingress occurred onboard INS Kesari this afternoon while the ship was berthed at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. No injuries or loss of life have been reported. Operations to pump out the water are currently underway,” the statement said.INS Kesari is a Shardul-class Landing Ship Tank (Large) attached to the ENC. Built for amphibious operations, troop deployment, and humanitarian assistance, the ship had recently undergone routine maintenance at the dockyard prior to the incident.Technical teams from the dockyard have commenced a detailed assessment of INS Kesari’s hull fittings and sea-suction valves to pinpoint the breach.Officials confirmed that a Board of Inquiry would be constituted to ascertain the exact cause.Mishaps involving water accumulation during maintenance or operations have occurred in the Navy previously. In 2014, missile vessel INS Vipul experienced seawater ingress in its tiller flat due to hull cracks, while auxiliary vessel TRV A-72 sank off Visakhapatnam coast following severe steering compartment flooding. Published - October 31, 2026 08:37 pm IST