Indian Navy contracts private company to lift INS Betwa

The Indian Navy has contracted a U.S.-based marine salvage company to lift the INS Betwa which tipped over during a December 6, 2016 incident that left two sailors dead and a number of others injured.

Resolve Marine Group received a INR 20 crore (US $2.9 million) contract to return the frigate to an upright position after it slipped from the blocks that held it.

The frigate landed on its port side in the dock and sustained damage to her mast and port side. According to reports, the frigate’s compartments were at least 25% flooded.

Preparations for the lifting are already underway and the entire process should be completed within thirty days, the company informed.

INS Betwa is an indigenously designed and built guided missile frigate of the Brahmaputra-class. The ship is 125 meters long and displaces 3,600 tonnes. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2004.