Coast Guard Rescues Nine After Indian Vessel Sinks in Arabian Sea

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully rescued nine crew members of the Indian vessel Taj Dhare Haram on Thursday after it sank in the northern Arabian Sea. The vessel had departed from Mundra in Gujarat and was headed to Socotra, Yemen, before flooding in rough seas caused it to capsize. The rescue mission also saw assistance from Pakistan’s maritime agencies.

The crew, who abandoned the sinking vessel and took refuge in a small life raft, were located and brought to safety. The Indian Coast Guard described the mission as a “daring humanitarian search and rescue operation” carried out under challenging sea conditions. The effort involved close cooperation between the maritime rescue coordination centers (MRCCs) of Mumbai, India, and Karachi, Pakistan.

The distress call was initially detected by a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft on a surveillance mission in the area. The aircraft promptly alerted MRCC Mumbai and the ICG regional headquarters in Gandhinagar, which initiated the rescue. The ICGS Shoor, a vessel already on patrol in the forward area, was diverted to the location to assist.

Additionally, MRCC Pakistan was contacted to notify other mariners in the region about the emergency. The crew members were rescued approximately 311 kilometers west of Porbandar, within Pakistan’s search and rescue zone.

This rescue comes weeks after a similar mission where the ICG saved 12 seafarers from a vessel that sank in the northern Arabian Sea. That operation also involved resources from the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).

In another incident earlier in November, an ICG ship secured the release of seven Indian fishermen apprehended by a PMSA vessel near the maritime boundary after tense negotiations and a two-hour chase.

These incidents highlight the crucial role of collaborative maritime rescue operations in ensuring the safety of seafarers navigating perilous waters.