Coast Guard saves 39 lives from bad weather

As south-west monsoon made its presence felt, the Indian Coast Goard (ICG) undertook three major operations concurrently in the Arabian Sea saving 39 lives.

While one operation was carried out 390 nautical miles off Mumbai, the other two were carried out along the Karnataka and Konkan-Goa coast.

“Three concurrent operations of saving lives at sea during the inclement weather re-affirms ICG’s commitment towards the safety of life and property at sea and its motto “Vayam Rakshamah”,” an ICG spokesperson said.

The ICG’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai received a distress alert on 31 May, from a sailing boat “Lady Thuraya” registered in the British Virgin Islands, which was sailing from Male to Salalah, Oman. The position was more than 590 miles from Mumbai. Reacting swiftly to the situation, ICG raised an “International Safety Net” where in ships in the vicinity were requested to look for the distressed boat.  

One of the merchant ships, MV Seacor Diamond travelling to UAE was able to contact the sailing boat on VHF on 3 June and was continuously guided by MRCC. Finally, the sailing boat in distress was located at about 390 miles from Mumbai. MV Seacor Diamond intimated that all four crew of the sailing boat were safe and healthy but the boat had drifted because of engine failure and no power onboard since last 3 days. Immediate assistance was provided to the crew and ship along with sailing boat under tow is expected to reach Mumbai by Wednesday.

In another incident on Sunday, the ICG at Goa rescued a critically ill staff of Light House authorities from Vengrula Rock lighthouse. Braving inclement weather, a helicopter was sent at the first light and the person suffering chest pain was rescued.

In the third incident, 27 crew on board sinking barge, Ibis, were rescued off the Karnataka coast. After the New Mangalore Port Control received the message, the ICG swung into action and diverted CG ship Amartya which was patrolling off Karnataka coast to provide necessary assistance. Despite inclement weather, all the crew was evacuated safety.