Gas Supplier Booked For Negligence After Explosion On Indian Navy Destroyer That Killed 3

A gas supplier has been booked for providing an incorrect refrigerant to the Indian Navy, which led to a fatal explosion aboard the INS Ranvir in January 2022.

The explosion occurred at the Naval Dockyard in Colaba, killing three Navy personnel, injuring 11 others, and causing severe damage to the vessel.

Following an investigation, a case was filed against the Ajay Air Products Pvt Ltd, on March 2025 by a Board of Inquiry (BoI) appointed by the Navy.

The BoI found that the supplier had delivered flammable Freon R152a instead of the prescribed Freon R22, which is non-combustible.

The tragedy took place on January 18, 2022, around 4:30 p.m., while INS Ranvir was docked at the Naval Dockyard. The warship had been on deployment since November and was scheduled to return to its base.

The explosion occurred under the junior sailors’ dining hall, inside the air-conditioning compartment. The Navy’s Bol determined that the air-conditioning system had been under maintenance for two months before the blast.

All refrigerant gas had been transferred to the condenser, and all valves had been closed, ensuring that no other machinery in the compartment could have triggered the explosion.

After the blast, gas samples from the Freon condenser were sent to two institutions for analysis:

Centre for Fire, Explosives, and Environment Safety (CFEES), DRDO, New Delhi Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Powai, Mumbai

Both reports confirmed that Freon R152a, a flammable and incompatible refrigerant, was present instead of the prescribed Freon R22, which the Navy had originally ordered.

The explosion led to the tragic deaths of three senior naval personnel, who were found burnt near the mess area, directly above the AC compartment where the blast occurred.

The deceased were identified as: Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO 1) Krishna Kumar, MCPO II Surinder Kumar, MCPO II AK Singh. An MCPO I is equivalent to a Subedar Major in the Army, while an MCPO II is equivalent to a Subedar.

The complaint that led to the case was filed by Lieutenant Commander Sachin Kumar, aged 40, part of INS Ranvir’s engineering department at the time of the explosion. Kumar was in the engine room during the incident, when he heard a loud noise followed by thick smoke spreading across the warship.

Investigators found that the wrong refrigerant supplied by Ajay Air Products Pvt Ltd was the cause of the explosion. The Freon R152a gas not only released toxic fumes upon combustion but also triggered a deadly blast.

Following the BoI’s findings, Colaba police have booked officials of Ajay Air Products Pvt Ltd under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):

• Section 304A- Causing death by negligence
• Section 437- Mischief with intent to destroy or endanger a vessel

According to authorities, the company’s negligence in supplying an incorrect and hazardous gas led to the deaths of three navy personnel, injuries to several others, and damage to the warship.

INS Ranvir, a Rajput-class destroyer, was built in the former Soviet Union and commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 1986. The warship measures 146 meters in length, has a beam of 15.8 meters, and can reach a top speed of 30 knots.

The vessel is equipped with a variety of advanced weapons, including:

• Surface-to-surface missiles
• Surface-to-air missiles
• Anti-aircraft guns
• Torpedoes

During the time of the incident, INS Ranvir was manned by 30 officers and 310 sailors.

References: freepressjournal, hindustantimes

Source: Maritime Shipping News