Visakhapatnam: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 15 fishermen on MFB Mohan Raj stranded in high seas due to machinery breakdown. The men on the 20-metre-long fishing boat registered in Tamil Nadu had ventured out for fishing on June 16 from Nagapatnam. There were 15 crew on board.
The Operation Centre at AP district headquarters here on Thursday noticed a stationary contact for five to six hours. On investigation, it was found that a mechanised fishing boat was stranded in rough sea due to technical failure. The distressed boat crew requested for assistance. The transmission was picked up by Coast Guard’s Remote Operating Station. On receipt of the message, headquarters directed a Kakinada-based Coast Guard ship to proceed to sea and render assistance.
ICGS Rajdhwaj, under the command of Commandant Vivek Sharma, sailed at night and reached the boat at 4 am. The exhausted fishermen were provided with medical aid and food as efforts to repair the boat turned futile. There was a major breakdown in the clutching mechanism. ICGS Rajdhwaj decided to take the boat under tow without causing damage to the boat. Commandant S.S. Singh, Operations Officer of Coast Guard District Headquarters No.6 (AP), lauded the efforts of ICGS Rajdhwaj which saved 15 lives.
