The Indian Coast Guard on Wednesday rescued 11 crew members onboard an Indian fishing boat, which was in a critical condition due to flooding from a hull rupture, off the coast of Kerala despite heavy rainfall.
On Tuesday night, an ICG Dornier aircraft on maritime surveillance had located the distressed boat, ‘Aashni’, with 11 crew members, about 80 nautical miles off Kochi.
The boat was in distress due to uncontrolled flooding from a hull rupture near the keel and a loss of propulsion, posing a significant threat to the safety of the crew.
Considering the gravity of the situation and the inclement weather conditions, the Coast Guard immediately launched an advanced light helicopter at 2:05 am on Tuesday from Kochi for the rescue of the crew in distress.
Another ICG ship ‘Abhinav’ was deployed at 2:45 am to augment the search and rescue efforts for the affected vessel.
ICG ship ‘Saksham’ reached the boat’s location and a technical team boarded the vessel. The team undertook rigorous de-flooding operations and provided vital technical assistance, fresh water and rations to the crew members, despite challenging weather conditions.
The coordinated sea-air operation ensured the safety of all 11 crew members onboard the vessel and the boat was safely handed over to the Marine Enforcement wing of the Fisheries Department.
