Twenty-two members on board a coal-ash carrier were rescued on Wednesday before their vessel sunk almost 80 nautical miles off Bombay High after developing a technical snag.
Clincker Carrier sent distress signals before sinking 80 nautical miles off Bombay High
Rajshri Mehta/Anupam Dasgupta
Twenty-two members on board a coal-ash carrier were rescued on Wednesday before their vessel sunk almost 80 nautical miles off Bombay High after developing a technical snag.
Seventeen members of the crew are Indian nationals while the rest are from Myanmar and the Maldives. Rescue efforts were initiated after the Clincker Carrier sent out distress signals to Coast Guard around 2pm. One Coast Guard ship and another merchant vessel — which was close to the area where Clincker vessel was — jointly spearheaded rescue operations which lasted for over 2 hours.
In another incident, 18 crew members — out of which three are from Mumbai — were rescued Tuesday when the ship (MV Sea Glory travelling to Veraval from Iraq) they were on board got grounded on June 26 almost 30 nautical miles off Gujarat coast at Jakhau.
Dornier aircrafts and special ICG helicopters were pressed into service after the Sea Glory crew contacted the Coast Guard western region headquarters in Mumbai. The Coast Guard also requested the Air Force to pitch in to help in the rescue of the crew members.
“In both cases Coast Guards special vessels and aircrafts had to cope with inclement weather conditions to ensure the safety of crew members,” said A Rajasekhar commander and inspector general Coast Guard (West region).
“Our rescue efforts were primarily aimed at bailing the crew members out in such inclement waether. Their vessels developed snag,” Rajasekhar added.
MV Sea Glory was carrying 50 tonnes of crude oil and another 20 tonnes of high-speed diesel.
“We are closely monitoring the situation to plug possible oil leaks,” said a senior Coast Guard official. Though the vessel was grounded since June 26, its condition was constantly monitored by the Coast Guard.
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