New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 12 crew members of a merchant ship from the country that sank on December 4 in the north Arabian Sea during its journey from Porbandar in Gujarat to Bandar Abbas port in Iran, reported news agency PTI. Since ‘MSV Al Piranpir’ sank outside of Indian waters, within Pakistan's search and rescue region, a joint operation was conducted by the ICG and Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).
“This humanitarian search and rescue mission saw a close collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and PMSA, with both nations' maritime rescue coordination centers (MRCC) maintaining continuous communication throughout the operation,” a press release from the ICG said. The merchant vessel reportedly sank in the early hours of the morning due to rough conditions at sea and flooding, while it was on its way to Porbandar with general cargo.
ICG's maritime rescue coordination center in Mumbai received a distress call and promptly alerted the ICG's northwest regional headquarters in Gandhinagar. The Coast Guard ship Sarthak was immediately sent to the location and Pakistan's Marine Rescue Coordination Centre was also contacted to alert mariners in the area. The Pakistan MRCC responded swiftly as well, the press release added.
The 12 crew members were found taking refuge in a small dinghy after abandoning the sinking vessel and were rescued approximately 270 km west of Dwarka. Along with Sarthak, a PMSA aircraft and merchant ship MV Cosco Glory also supported the search and rescue efforts.
