India joins search for missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew on board

Spoke to the Defence Minister of Indonesia, General Prabowo Subianto over the phone and shared my pain over the news of missing submarine Nanggala and its crew members. India is extending its full support to the ongoing Indonesian rescue efforts.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 22, 2021

#IndianNavy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) departed from #Visakhapatnam to support #IndonesianNavy in Search & Rescue efforts for #KRINanggala.
In this moment of crisis our prayers are with the @_TNIAL_ , our brothers in arms onboard #KRINanggala & their families

file📷 pic.twitter.com/753Vi8o2dS

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 22, 2021

With the Indonesian vessel going missing on seas with 53 crew on board, India has ventured to contribute to search and rescue operations for the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402. The ship had gone missing during a military drill in the seas north of Bali with 53 people on board.

On Thursday, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with his Indonesian counterpart, Gen Prabowo Subianto, and assured him of India’s full support in locating the attack submarine.

I called upon Indonesia’s Defence Minister, General Prabowo Subianto, and expressedmy concern and sadness over the news of the missing submarine Nanggala and its crew members. “India is offering its full support to the ongoing Indonesian rescue efforts,” Singh tweeted.

It’s a race against time as the oxygen levels may not be sufficient to sustain for longer. A total of 24 navy and other ships, as well as a patrol plane, were mobilized for the search on Friday, with a focus on the area where an oil slick was discovered after the submarine went missing during an exercise. In the previous two days, rescuers conducted similar massive searches.

The cause of the disappearance remains unknown. According to the navy, an electrical failure could have rendered the submarine unable to execute emergency resurfacing procedures. The German vessel is diesel-powered built KRI Nanggala 402 which was in service in Indonesia since 1981, carrying 49 crew members, three gunners, and the commander, according to the Indonesian Defence Ministry.

In recent years, Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with over 17,000 islands, has faced growing challenges to its maritime claims, including numerous incidents involving Chinese vessels near the Natuna islands.