CHENNAI:Indian Coast Guard came to the rescue of 250 passengers, including 102 bound for Chennai, and 93 crew members after passenger ship MV Swaraj Dweep reported flooding 40 nautical miles off Car Nicobar Island on Thursday.
A Indian Coast Guard Spokesman told Express that they received a call from Captain UP Singh around 01.40 hours followed by an e-mail requesting urgent assistance to arrest flooding after water ingress was observed in the vessel’s Forward Section at Hold Number 2, where cargo was kept.“The cargo hold was flooded up to five metres level and despite efforts by ship staff and continuous pumping, water
level failed to recede. Immediately after receiving the distress signal, the Coast Guard launched rescue operation and its ship Aruna Asaf Ali sailed from Kamrota to assist the vessel in distress. The captain of the vessel was directed to head towards Carnic anchorage,” a Coast Guard release stated.
The vessel, which was bound for Nancowry and then to Campbell Bay before proceeding to Chennai, had 102 passengers bound for Chennai and 148 local passengers of whom 95 were bound for Campbell Bay and 53 for Nancowry.
On the first ray of light, a team comprising five experienced divers from Port Blair embarked onboard Coast Guard Dornier aircraft for Carnic. On arrival, they joined the Indian Coast Guard ship’s damage-control team in deflooding the vessel, using submersible and diesel-driven pumps. The team will undertake underwater damage control as soon as the leak is isolated, the Coast Guard spokesman said.
The spokesman said that water level at MV Swaraj Dweep was down to one foot and evacuation of passengers by ICG ship Aruna Aasaf Ali and DSS Kamrota had commenced.The passengers are ferried to safety before they embark on their respective vessels for their destinations.