Vizag Naval mishap: Vessels ill-equipped, not enough life vests

Visakhapatnam: The need for Lt. Commander Y. Shishir Kumar, weapon’s officer of the National Armament Inspection Office of Eastern Naval Command (ENC), to offer his life vest to another person has raised questions regarding the availability of these vests on the Torpedo Recovery Vehicle (TRV) and whether there were enough preparations in place on the vessel to handle so many persons.

“He is very good at swimming and he had offered his vest to one of the NSTL staff as he knows that as a defence personnel, it should be ‘civilians first’. He truly lived up to his duty. This was revealed by one of the NSTL staff, who were rescued. We wish and hope he comes back,” a colleague of Shishir said.

“I know Shishir since some years. He is a very nice, humble and helpful man,” his neighbour, retired Master Mariner A.K. Ghosh said. Even as the Indian Navy has initiated an inquiry, there have been reports that the mishap took place due to ill maintenance of the vessel.