Coast guard rescues 9 after Indian vessel headed to Yemen sinks in Arabian Sea

The mechanised sailing vessel, which had departed from Mundra in Gujarat, sank after flooding on board in the rough seas.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Thursday rescued nine crew members of an Indian vessel, Taj Dhare Haram, that sank in the northern Arabian Sea, with Pakistan maritime agencies also assisting the mission.

The nine crew members, who had abandoned their vessel and taken refuge in a small life raft, were located and rescued. (X/IndiaCoastGuard)

“This daring humanitarian search and rescue mission, carried out under challenging sea conditions, involved close collaboration between the maritime rescue coordination Centres (MRCCs) of Mumbai, India, and Karachi, Pakistan,” the coast guard said in a statement.

The mechanised sailing vessel had departed from Mundra in Gujarat and was headed to Socotra, Yemen. It sank after flooding on board in the rough seas. The distress call was picked up by a coast guard Dornier aircraft that was on a surveillance mission in the area. The plane immediately alerted the MRCC Mumbai and the ICG regional headquarters (North West) in Gandhinagar.

“In response, the ICGS Shoor, which was on forward area patrol, was promptly diverted to the reported location to provide assistance. Additionally, MRCC Pakistan was contacted to notify mariners in the area of the emergency,” the coast guard said.

The nine crew members, who had abandoned their vessel and taken refuge in a small life raft, were located and rescued around 311 km west of Porbandar, in Pakistan’s search and rescue region, it added.

The development came weeks after the ICG rescued 12 seafarers who were marooned in the northern Arabian Sea after their vessel sank due to flooding in the rough seas, with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) also pitching with its resources to execute the mission.

The Indian mechanised sailing vessel Al Piranpir was on its way from Porbandar to Bandar Abbas in Iran when it encountered the rough seas.

Also in November, an ICG ship secured the release of seven fishermen apprehended by a PMSA vessel near the maritime boundary between the two countries in the northern Arabian Sea after a two-hour chase and tough negotiations.