KOCHI: In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard saved 15 mariners from a merchant vessel which got grounded in the Arabian sea off the New Mangaluru coast on Tuesday evening.
According to Coast Guard DIG S B Venkatesh, the Coast Guard received a distress call from M V Princess Miral at 2.30 pm on Tuesday. Two Coast Guard vessels, ICGS Vikram and ICGS Amartya were diverted to the location immediately. "The ships reached the spot by 5.30 pm and all the 15 mariners were rescued by 6 pm," he said.
The ship ran aground and water had entered the hull of the ship. There was water ingress in the holds, which prompted the crew to abandon the ship. The vessel was on its way from Malaysia to Lebanon. The rescued mariners were taken to New Mangaluru and will be handed over to the police and emigration department for further proceedings.