Boilers Below Par in Latest Indian Aircraft Carrier Trial

Seven out of eight steam boilers of the propulsion machinery were found defective during sea trials of 'INS Vikramaditya', delivery date put back.

The Vikramaditya, formerly the Russian Navy's Admiral Gorshkov, is to be handed over to India from a Russia shipyard after ongoing sea trials following a much-delayed refit. According to the latest agreements, it was to have been handed over on December 4, but the deadline has been postponed again until October 2013.

The problems started when the vessel tried to gain maximum speed. “Seven out of eight steam boilers of the propulsion machinery were out of order,” an official told Kommersant  business daily.

The official, who prepared the Vikramaditya for sea trials, said the reason for the boilers’ failure was that India refused to use asbestos as a means to protect the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew.

He said the boilers’ designer had to use firebrick, which proved not sufficiently heatproof, the official explained.