The Indian Coast Guard on Monday averted a major crisis at the sea as it rescued an unstable chemical tanker, carrying 23 crew members, off the coast of Paradip in Odisha. The foreign vessel was safely taken in tow as the ICG swung into action on receiving a distress call.
In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, “Following a critical distress call from MT Seagull 9 off #Paradip, #ICGS Vishwast launched a swift & decisive operation to rescue the unstable chemical tanker carrying 9,000 MT palm oil & 23 crew members.”
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{{/usCountry}}Sharing details of the operation, the Indian Coast Guard said a specialist Damage Control Team boarded the vessel, used submersible pumps to remove water from the ballast tanks and sealed damaged sea-pipelines to stabilise the tilting ship.
To strengthen pollution response and maintain continuous surveillance, an ICG Pollution Control Vessel and an Offshore Patrol Vessel were also diverted to the site, it said. An ICG Dornier aircraft confirmed that the minor palm-oil sheen observed in the area had completely dissipated.
"The ship is now safely under tow towards Paradip. ICG units remain on active sentinel watch—ensuring safety and protecting our oceans 24/7," the ICG said.
The Indian Coast Guard, which is the country's maritime law enforcement agency, is meant to ensure the safety of India's offshore assets, secure sea lines of communication, respond to emergencies at sea, combat marine pollution, as well as, provide humanitarian assistance.
Earlier, on September 11, the Indian Coast Guard safely evacuated 21 crew members after a merchant vessel, MV KMAX EMPEROR, collided with another merchant ship, MV TRUE MARINER, near the outer anchorage OTB Kandla in Gujarat.
Last month, the coast guard carried out search and rescue operations after cargo ship MV Ocean Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal on August 21. The 1998-built bulk carrier, carrying about 71,200 metric tonnes of iron ore fines from Paradip port in Odisha to China, sank around 290 nautical miles off Paradip. The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, one Bangladeshi and three Myanmar nationals.