The distress call was received on October 24, prompting Coast Guard Headquarters No. 3 (Karnataka) to launch a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation. The fishing boat, which had set sail from Goa, was last reported about 100 nautical miles off the New Mangalore coast before losing contact
Mangaluru: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 31 fishermen from the fishing vessel IFB Sant Anton-I, which had been adrift in the Arabian Sea for 11 days after suffering a steering gear failure.
The distress call was received on October 24, prompting Coast Guard Headquarters No. 3 (Karnataka) to launch a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation. The fishing boat, which had set sail from Goa, was last reported about 100 nautical miles off the New Mangalore coast before losing contact.
The Coast Guard ship ICGS Kasturba Gandhi, which was on routine patrol, was immediately diverted to the area. A Dornier surveillance aircraft from Kochi was also deployed for an extensive aerial search. Adverse weather and drifting currents had pushed the vessel far from its original course.
According to a press statement, using data from the Integrated Operations Centre and real-time weather inputs, Coast Guard personnel mapped the boat’s probable drift pattern and redirected the teams accordingly.
The breakthrough came on October 25, when the Dornier aircraft sighted the missing boat. ICGS Kasturba Gandhi soon reached the location, where personnel provided essential logistics, carried out on-site repairs to the damaged steering system, and restored the vessel’s seaworthiness.
After stabilising Sant Anton-I, the Coast Guard ship arranged for it to be towed safely to Honnavar fishing harbour in Uttara Kannada district by another fishing boat. All 31 crew members were found safe and in good health.
Ends.
