Indian Coast Guard ships rescue 15 Syrian mariners from foreign vessel off Mangalore coast
- In Reports
- 04:29 PM, Jun 22, 2022
- Myind Staff
In an expedited search and rescue (SAR) mission carried out on Tuesday, troops of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) have saved 15 Syrian mariners from the foreign-flag merchant ship, MV Princess Miral that ran aground off New Mangalore, stated an official release on Wednesday, June 22.
The crew of MV Princess Miral abandoned the ship following a breach in the hull, which led to ingress of water, and the vessel ran aground on Tuesday. The SAR mission was coordinated by ICG ship Vikram and ICG ship Amartya by braving rough waters to reach the foreign vessel and rescue the crew, the ICG release said.
The vessel was bound for Lebanon from Malaysia, said DIG S B Venkatesh, commander, Coast Guard, Karnataka. The vessel was carrying 8,000 tonnes of steel coil from Tianjin in China to Beirut in Lebanon.
Notably, the foreign ship had hit the coast on June 21 due to difficult weather conditions, following which it got stuck. The crew members abandoned the ship and were waiting to be rescued.
Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner K V Rajendra said the vessel ran aground five to six nautical miles away from the Ullal shore.
Hailing the efforts of the IGC ships, Defense Ministry's PRO tweeted the pictures of the rescue operation and said, "In a prompt and swift Search and Rescue (SAR) Mission, @IndianCoastGuard ships ‘Vikram’ and ‘Amartya’ saved precious lives of 15 Syrian nationality mariners from a foreign-flagged vessel which had run aground off New Mangalore today, braving rough weather condition." Furthermore, the successful operation reaffirms the Indian Coast Guard’s capabilities as the nodal agency for search and rescue operations in the Indian Ocean region, the ICG added in the release.
Image source: ANI
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