The Karnataka unit of the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday saved six crew members of a vessel which was in distress, about 30 nautical miles west of Kasaragod, Kerala. The vessel sailed from Old Mangaluru Port on Friday.
S.B. Venkatesh, Commander, Indian Coast Guard, Karnataka, said in a release that the dhow, MSV Safina-Al-Marizal, was carrying 120 tonnes of goods. It left the Old Mangaluru Port on Friday at around 2.30 p.m. Five members of the crew were from Gujarat and one from Mangaluru.
The New Mangaluru Coast Guard Doriner 773, which was on a routine sortie, picked up a distress call from the crew of the dhow at 11.35 a.m. on Saturday. Following about 30 minutes of search, the dornier sighted the debris of the dhow and its six crew members floating in the sea. The dornier personnel passed on the information to the Coast Guard control room, which despatched its C-448 vessel for rescue mission.
The vessel reached within an hour and rescued the six crew members of the dhow. They were brought to the New Mangalore Port and handed over to the Coastal Security Police and the Fisheries Department for further action.
According to the initial assessment by the rescue team, seepage of sea water into the dhow’s engine room led to sinking of the dhow, he said in the release.
