Rough seas play spoilsport for coastal security

Coastal security guards are having a tough time patrolling the waters of the rough seas. While the Maritime Board has banned fishing trawlers in deep seas, the heavy ships used by Coast Guard are also finding it tough to sail through.

On Saturday, a Coast Guard ship was sent to rescue the crew of a sinking cargo ship off the Mangalore coast. “The officers repeatedly called reporting about the aggressive sea. It was very tough for them to carry out the rescue operation,” said a senior Coast Guard officer adding that the men feared of being grounded themselves.  The ship, MV Asian Forest, was on its way to Hong Kong. The Coast Guard rescued 18 mariners from the ship.

Another ship was reported to be grounded near Karwar in Karnataka. While earlier the Coast Guard suspected it to be an enemy ship, the speculations were put to rest after the crew was interrogated. “Several calls were made to Syria from the ship.

Later on we learnt that the crew was calling their families and there was nothing suspicious,” added the officer. The rough seas are a common phenomenon during the month of July when the monsoon is at its peak.

Meanwhile the Mumbai coastal police have got two new fibre boats - Indrayani and Panchganga - which can go up to a minimal nine nautical miles. This is in addition to the present 10 boats they use to man the 124-km-long Mumbai coastline.