Coast Guard, police bomb squad avert major mishap at sea

The operation was carried out in the vessel MT Agea in the Arabian sea, about 15 nautical miles off the Okha coast in Jamnagar district, coast guard officials said. According to officials, MT Agea, registered in Greece, was on its way to Port Sikka in Jamnagar from Antwerp in Belgium, when it was attacked by pirates, about 400 nautical miles away from Porbander.

"The vessel was fired upon with arms and a rocket propelled grenade. One of the grenades hit the accommodation structure and did not explode," they said, adding that the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) regional headquarters at Gandhinagar was intimated about the incident by the vessel.

A bomb disposal squad was rushed to the Okha coast where an ICG hovercraft was kept ready for launch, while at the same time the vessel MT Agea was intimated not to enter Gulf of Kutch and anchor about 15 nautical miles off Okha coast.

"After three hours of operation, the live rocket propelled grenade was disarmed by the police bomb disposal squad, averting a major mishap at sea. The vessel was then cleared for undertaking her passage to Sikka," the ICG officials said.