Indian Coast Guard rescues 12 crew members of sunken ship in joint operation with Pakistan agency

The Indian Coast Guard has rescued 12 of a merchant ship from the country which sank in the north Arabian Sea during its journey from Porbandar in Gujarat to Bandar Abbas port in Iran, officials said on Thursday. The vessel ‘MSV AI Piranpir’ sank on Wednesday outside Indian waters within Pakistan’s search and rescue region. 

The rescue operation was a joint venture between the Indian Coast Guard and the Pakistan Maritime Security agency (PMSA), the ICG said in a statement. "This humanitarian search and rescue mission saw a close collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and PMSA, with both nations' maritime rescue coordination centres (MRCC) maintaining continuous communication throughout the operation," it said.

The ship had left for the Iranian port from Porbandar on December 2 with general cargo. On its way, it reportedly sank in the morning hours of Wednesday due to rough sea tides and deluge. 

The Indian Coast Guard’s MRCC, Mumbai received a distress call, following which the ICG regional headquarters (North West) in Gandhinagar was alerted. 

ICG ship Sarthak was immediately diverted to the reported location and the MRCC Pakistan was contacted to alert mariners in the region. Following this the ship Sarthak reached the probable location and conducted an extensive search operation. 

According to the ICG release the search for survivors was supported by a PMSA aircraft and the merchant ship MV Cosco Glory. Those rescued underwent a medical examination and were reported to be in good health. The process of transporting them back to Porbandar harbour is underway. 

(With inputs from PTI)