JOIN USIn a daring operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Friday night rescued eight crew members from a sinking dhow nearly 12 nautical miles west of Murud in the Raigad district adjoining Mumbai.
The dhow, MSV Sarojini, was on passage from Porbandar to Beypore in Kerala carrying 430 tonnes of soda ash.
All the rescued crew members hail from Gujarat.
The ship experienced crack in the hull and its engine room began to get flooded. After a distress alert was raised around 6.45 pm, ICGS Samrat rushed quickly to help besides intimating the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai and the Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (West).
ICGS Samrat also coordinated with MT Harsh Prem, which was located just 14 nautical miles way while the former was still at a distance of 16 nautical miles.
But on arriving in the vicinity of MSV Sarojini, MT Harsh Prem’s movement was restricted by the shallow waters.
In the meantime, ICGS Samrat reached the scene around 9 pm.
After thoroughly briefing the crew of MSV Sarojini about the rescue plan, the safety boat of ICGS Samrat was dispatched to rescue the crew. All eight crew of the ill-fated MSV were safely brought on board the ICGS Samrat. The rescue mission ended around 10 pm.
The rescued crew members were examined by the ICG’s doctors and they were found to be fit. The damaged dhow is being monitored and safety message has been issued by MRCC Mumbai to the mariners to avoid navigational hazards.