Pakistan navy rescues 18 crew members of merchant vessel in Arabian Sea

Islamabad: The Pakistan Navy on Friday rescued 18 crew members, including Chinese and Bangladeshi nationals, of a merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea in response to a distress call.

The call originated from the Merchant Vessel (MV) Gold Autumn, which was operating in the North Arabian Sea at 200 nautical miles (approx 370 km) off Pakistan’s coast and a ship of the Pakistan Navy responded immediately, according to a statement by the Pakistan Army.

It said that PNS Hunain conducted a search and rescue operation, with the ship’s crew providing medical aid, assisting in firefighting, carrying out damage assessment and successfully rescuing the crew.

“In a swift humanitarian operation, Pakistan Navy successfully rescued and evacuated 18 crew members including nationals of China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia,” it said.

The evacuated crew were safely transported to Karachi for medical care and repatriation to their respective countries.