NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully rescued 12 crew members of the sunken Indian vessel MSV Al Piranpir in the North Arabian Sea during a late-night operation on Wednesday (Dec 4).
This high-stakes humanitarian mission exemplified seamless coordination between the ICG and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA), with both nations’ Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) maintaining constant communication throughout the effort.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that the mechanised sailing vessel (dhow) Al Piranpir, which had set sail from Porbandar, India, and was headed to Bandar Abbas, Iran, sank in the early hours of 4 December due to rough seas and flooding.
Upon receiving a distress call, ICG’s MRCC Mumbai alerted its Regional Headquarters (North West) in Gandhinagar, which immediately deployed ICGS Sarthak to the area.
Simultaneously, MRCC Pakistan was contacted to mobilise assistance in the region.
ICGS Sarthak, engaged in forward area patrolling, raced to the site approximately 270 kilometres west of Dwarka, located within Pakistan’s Search and Rescue Region.
After an extensive search, the 12 crew members, who had abandoned their vessel and taken refuge in a dinghy, were located and rescued.
The search effort was bolstered by the Pakistan MSA aircraft and the merchant vessel MV Cosco Glory.
The rescued crew members were given immediate medical attention aboard ICGS Sarthak and were reported to be in good health.
They are being transported back to Porbandar Harbour, Gujarat. - The Statesman/ANN
