KOCHI: The Coast Guard on Tuesday night rescued 13 fishermen who were stranded mid sea after their fishing vessel started sinking following water ingress caused by a hole in the hull. The fishing boat Guruvayoorappan was involved in fishing around 31 nautical miles off Chavakkad when water started entering the engine room.
Following an alert from the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in Kochi, the Coast Guard diverted the patrol vessel ICG Abhinav which was maintaining patrol off the Kerala coast to render assistance to the fishermen in distress.
The ship arrived at the location and launched its boarding party with a technical team to assess the situation. The team found the engine room of the boat flooding rapidly due to a 4-inch hole in the hull. The team undertook a de-flooding operation with a submersible pump and arrested the ingress of water by applying quick-drying cement.
The timely action by ICG despite challenging weather conditions ensured the operationalisation of the boat’s engine and saved the fishermen. The fishing boat was escorted to Munambam harbour later.
TImely action
The fishing boat Guruvayoorappan was involved in fishing around 31 nautical miles off Chavakkad when water started entering the engine room. Following an alert, the Coast Guard diverted the patrol vessel ICG Abhinav to render assistance to the fishermen. The fishing boat was escorted to Munambam harbour later