Coast Guard rescues stranded fishermen adrift in open sea, brings them back to Old Mangalore port

A fishing boat,`Thiruchendur Murugan', adrift in the open sea for two days was rescued and towed back safely to Old Mangalore port by Indian Coast Guard Headquarters (Karnataka) on Thursday.

The fishing boat with over 10 fishermen had set sail on a deep sea fishing expedition. On September 24 the fishing boat was stranded due to a broken engine shaft. It was Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai which first picked up the distress signals from stranded fishing boat and relayed it to Coast Guard District Head Quarters (Karnataka) on September 26.

Indian Coast Guard after being informed about the stranded fishing boat swung into action and deployed Coast Guard vessels C-448, C-446 to rescue the stranded fishing boat. Coast Guard Boats and Coast Guard Aircraft succeeded in tracking down the stranded fishing boat, located 39 nautical miles from Mangaluru coast. The two-days of being adrift in the open ocean had a severe toll on the crew, stated a press release from Indian Coast Guard.

The stranded boat was directed towards another boat, Sea Tiny, for towing. A well coordinated operation between Indian Coast Guard, Fisheries Department and Boat Owner ensured Safe Towage of Thiruchendur Murugan to Old New Mangalore Harbour, before the weather in sea turned hostile. "

The successful rescue of a fishing boat, Thiruchendur Murugan and medical evacuation of a fisherman suffering from heart attack onboard fishing boat Baby Mary-4, within a week serves as a testament to Indian Coast Guard's readiness and ability to respond swiftly to maritime emergencies," Coast Guards District Commander P K Mishra stressed.