Indian Coast Guard carries out rescue operation off Lakshadweep Island
Mangaluru, Jan 23, 2021: In a swift sea-air coordinated operation, Coast Guard Ship Sujeet rescued seven crew members of MSV Messiah that sank on Jan 22 morning off Kalpeni in Lakshadweep Group of Islands.
The vessel had sailed from Tuticorin on Jan 19 carrying cargo for Kavaratti but flooding started at about 5 am on Jan 22 and started sinking while the vessel was off Kalpeni Island.
The crew called the owner at Tuticorin. He alerted the port control stating that the vessel would enter for shelter. However, when the vessel did not enter the Kalpeni port, the port control alerted the Indian Coast Guard at around 11.30 am.
Indian Coast Guard immediately jumped into action. ICG Ship patrolling in the area was diverted and an aircraft was launched from Kochi and an interceptor boat from Kavaratti for locating the distressed vessel.
The Coast Guard Dornier sighted the crew of MSV Messiah floating in a partially submerged lifeboat around 30 nautical miles southwest of Kalpeni island on Jan 22. The ship was vectored towards the lifeboat and despite strong winds and adverse weather conditions, all the crew were picked up safely.
The crew later told that their vessel MSV Messiah sunk at around 9 am and since then they were floating in lifeboat praying to be rescued. All rescued personnel safely disembarked at Kavaratti and handed over to local police.
