A Panama-flagged cargo ship named RAK Carrier sank nearly 20 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast on Thursday afternoon, possibly due to water ingress.
All the 30 crew members were rescued by the Navy and the Coast Guard in a joint operation. The bulk carrier ship was on its way from Lubuk Tutung in Indonesia to Dahej in Gujarat to deliver more than 60,000 tonnes of coal.
“The ship sank probably because of water ingress in Hold no.1,” Coast Guard inspector general S. P. S. Basra told The Hindu .
The 30 crew members were taken to INS Shikra (Navy's helicopter base) from where they were brought to the Yellow Gate police station. The police recorded their statements.
According to the information given by the captain of the ship, those rescued are from Jordan, Romania, Palestine, and Indonesia.
Warning issued
A navigational warning has been issued to all the mariners.
“At about 7.30 a.m. [on Thursday], we received a call from VTMS (Vehicle Traffic Management Service) that this ship is sinking. We immediately passed the message to [the] Navy, pressed our ship and helicopter into service,” Coast Guard sources said.
The 27-year-old bulk carrier was around 20 nautical miles from the Prongs Reef light house when it sent a message for assistance.
The Coast Guard diverted the Coast Guard Ship (CGS) Samudra Prahari, which was patrolling in the area, and Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Smit Lumba to attend to the vessel. A merchant ship, MV Stella, which was sailing close-by was also diverted to assist MV RAK carrier.
Copters sent
Two helicopters, a Seaking of the Navy and a Chetak of the Coast Guard were also pressed into service. “One helicopter reached by around 8.15 [a.m.] and the other reached by around 8.30 a.m.,” an official said.
While the Coast Guard said that 15 of the crew members jumped into water to save their lives, the crew members of MV RAK carrier said that all of them were onboard when they were rescued. “None of us jumped into the water,” Ahmed Saad Salamah, 26-year-old third engineer of the ship, said.
“In well coordinated joint operations between the Navy and the Coast Guard, the two helicopters promptly rescued these crew members by winching them, and landed them on board a container ship which was anchored off Mumbai, before returning to rescue the others stranded onboard. Subsequently, all 30 [of the] crew, comprising Indonesians, Jordanians and Romanians, were airlifted by the two helicopters and ferried across to the Helicopter base INS Shikra,” a press release issued by the Defence Ministry stated.
The Directorate General of Shipping has already ordered an inquiry into the incident. The Coast Guard's oil pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari has been stationed near the location where the ship has sunk, to monitor any pollution of the sea.
Official sources said that no pollution has been reported so far.
Apart from the 60,054 tonne coal packed in the holds of the sunk vessel, it is also reported to have around 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel oil. The owner of the ship is Qatar-based.
The ship had set sail from Indonesia on June 14. “This vessel is owned and managed by M/s. Delta Shipping Marine Services, Qatar, and classed with Lloyds Register of Shipping,” a press release issued by the Directorate General of Shipping stated.
