Coast Guard rescues 9 stranded fishermen

The Indian Coast Guard has rescued nine fishermen whose boat had sunk, and were stranded off Pipavav Coast.

Official sources said the Coast Guard received information in the early hours of October 28 about a fishing boat Jayvanti Prasad sinking eight miles off Shiyal Bet near Pipavav. Nine fishermen onboard the boat later took shelter on an anchored vessel MS Gas Challenger.

"The Coast Guard Interceptor Boat was tasked to recover the men and to assist them in planning recovery of the capsized boat," the Defence PRO said in a release. The release added that reasons for the emergency are being investigated, even as the survivors were handed over to marine police.

ICG negotiates release of fishing boat

The Indian Coast Guard successfully negotiated release of an Indian fishing boat from the custody of Pakistan Marine Security Agency recently.

According to officials, Coast Guard Ship Ankit located a radar contact which was later confirmed as that of fishing boat Al Sha Asht Husen on wireless.

"The boat was in the custody of Pakistan MSA ship. On continuous persuasion, the Pakistani agency released the boat with warning," they said. Officials said that documents of the boat have been seized for imposing legal action and diverted to Okha.

Defence PRO said in a release that increase in Pakistani presence has been noticed along the mutually agreed maritime boundary line. It added that Coast Guard ships and aircrafts operating from Gujarat too have been maintaining round-the-clock surveillance in the area to shepherd the fishing boats away from the international waters.