Defence
has admitted one of its Collins submarines experienced a small fire at sea
earlier this month.
The fire
on September 15 occurred as the unnamed vessel cruised back to its port on the
surface.
Fuel
from one of the submarine's two diesel engines leaked onto some pipe insulating
material which started smouldering, igniting a small fire.
"The
engine was immediately shut down in accordance with normal procedures,"
defence said in a "hot issues brief" posted on its website.
The
small fire was quickly extinguished with a portable appliance. There were no
injuries.
The boat
continued its voyage back to port with engineers conducting a technical
inspection to determine what happened.
Australia's
six Collins submarines have experienced a range of problems which has limited
their availability for operations.
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