The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday night rescued 11 people from a sinking merchant in the Bay of Bengal by conducting a coordinated sea-air search and rescue operation. The merchant vessel was en route from Kolkata to Port Blair, officials said. ICG ships Sarang and Amogh, supported by a Dornier aircraft undertook the operation in extremely inclement sea conditions. As per the Coast Guard, the merchant ship, ITT Puma sank 90 nautical miles (nm) south of Sagar Island.
ICG ships, aircraft initiated rescue ops
Taking to social media platform X, ICG said, "The Indian Coast Guard conducted an unprecedented swift night operation, rescuing 11 precious lives in a coordinated sea-air Search and Rescue (SAR) operation. MV ITT PUMA reportedly sank 90 nautical miles (nm) south of Sagar Island, while on passage from Kolkata to Port Blair. Indian Coast Guard ships Sarang and Amogh, along with a CG Dornier aircraft, undertook this operation in extremely inclement sea conditions."
ICG rescues ship with 9 crew members
Earlier on August 24, ICG Dornier detected IFB Angel adrift due to an engine defect, about 70 km southeast of Diu. Soon the information was relayed to the ICG Maritime Rescue Coordination Sub Centre (MRCSC) at Pipavav, following which, ICG Ship Rajratan was diverted to assist the distressed IFB with 09 crew amid rough seas. Subsequently, the boat was safely towed to Jafarabad. Notably, the newly constructed state-of-the-art MRCSC building in Chennai was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 18. The ICG has been actively manoeuvring in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal to deal with any uncertainty.
Earlier on July 19, a major fire erupted on a merchant ship MV Maersk Frankfurt off the Karnataka coast. The cargo ships were carrying 1,154 containers, including some with dangerous cargo like benzene and sodium cyanate. After days of effort and coordinated air-sea operation, the fire was eventually doused by the ICG.
(With ANI Inputs)
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