Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Wednesday rescued stranded fishing boat Aashni and its crew of 11 people off the Kochi coast amid challenging weather conditions due to heavy rainfall, the ministry of defence said.
The boat was stuck 80 nautical miles off the coast from Kochi. The entire crew was in danger due to the boat flooding from a rupture in its hull. The boat also could not move due to a lack of propulsion.
The conditioned sea-air operation by the coast guard was initiated on the night of July 16 when an ICG Dornier aircraft conducting maritime surveillance located the distressed Indian fishing boat.
A patrolling ship, Saksham, was diverted immediately to assist the struggling boat. Another coast guard ship, Abhinav, was deployed soon after, along with an Advanced Light Helicopter to rescue the crew.
A technical team embarked on the boat and started carrying out de-flooding operations, gave technical assistance to the crew and provided fresh water and rations as well. The whole operation took place while the weather conditions at sea were rough and heavy rains were lashing the boat.
Once the rescue was successful, the boat was handed over to the Fisheries Department.
In May, the ICG also conducted a successful search and rescue for 24 stranded tourists and two crew members on a boat off the coast of Goa. The operation had also faced choppy seas and waves over three meters.
Indian Coast Guard rescues 11 from stranded fishing boat near Kochi
