Indian Coast Guard ships rescue 15 Syrian mariners from foreign vessel off Mangalore coast

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 Moral abandoned the ship following a breach in the hull, which further led to the ingress of water, and the vessel ran aground on Tuesday. Following this, the crew members raised a rescue call to the nearby areas after which Indian Coast Guard ships 'Vikram' and 'Amartya' braved rough waters and weather conditions to reach the foreign vessel and carry out the rescue operation. The ships rescued all the15 Syrian crew members from MV Princess Miral, the ICG statement added. 

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.

'Successful operation reaffirms the Indian Coast Guard’s capabilities': ICG

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. Briefing about the same, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra informed that the vessel ran aground five to six nautical miles away from the Ullal shore. 

The vessel was coming from Tianjin in China carrying 8,000 tonnes of steel coil and was on its way to Beirut in Lebanon.

It is pertinent to note that the Indian Coast Guard is a multi-mission organisation, conducting round-the-year real-life operations at sea. It is also an agency responsible for coordinating Search and Rescue (SAR) in the Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR). 

Image: ANI