Navy's daring mid-sea rescue stabilises drifting cargo vessel off Kerala coast amid raging fire, high seas
The firefighting and salvage operation of the Singapore-flagged vessel is being jointly carried out by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.
Despite adverse weather that restricted aerial operations and delayed the salvage team's boarding, a Navy Sea King helicopter launched from Kochi on 13 June heroically winched team members onto the vessel under extremely challenging conditions.
The salvage team then managed to connect a 600-metre tow rope to Offshore Warrior approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi. The vessel is now being towed westward at a speed of 1.8 knots and is nearly 35 nautical miles offshore.
Three ICG Offshore Patrol Vessels continue to escort the container ship and sustain firefighting operations. At present, only thick smoke and a few isolated hotspots remain onboard, a testament to the ICG's effective firefighting efforts that have helped avert a major environmental disaster.
The ICG is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until its fate is determined by the owners, in accordance with international norms. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- India Gazette
Heavy rains kill 63 in northern India
Strong monsoon downpours have resulted in floods and landslides, and swept away villages in a Himalayan state Heavy monsoon rains over a course of two weeks have claimed the lives of at least 63 people in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities said on Thursday. The torrential rains have led to floods, damaged roads, and the cutting off of many villages in the Himalayan state, according to local media reports. Over 150 houses, 106 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, and 14 bridges have been affected by the adverse weather, which also claimed the lives of 164 cows. "Our focus now is on search, rescue, and restoration," D C Rana, head of the local disaster management authority, told the media. Himachal Pradesh's State Disaster Response Force personnel carried a pregnant woman in a palanquin for several miles to admit her in a hospital on Wednesday, according to a report by NDTV. Other reports shared stories of entire villages being swept away in the state. A few states in the Indian plains have also been affected by severe rainfall. Adequate numbers of National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed for relief efforts in affected states, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah wrote in a post on X. He added that reinforcements would also be sent. The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in northwestern and central India over the next week, with peak intensity expected in the northwest July 6-7. Eastern India is also likely to witness significant rainfall until July 7, the department said. In June, heavy floods in the Himalayan region of India caused at least 36 deaths and affected more than 500,000 people.
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- India Gazette
Heavy rains kill 63 people in northern India
Strong monsoon downpours have resulted in floods and landslides, and swept away villages in a Himalayan state Heavy monsoon rains over a course of two weeks have claimed the lives of at least 63 people in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities said on Thursday. The torrential rains have led to floods, damaged roads, and the cutting off of many villages in the Himalayan state, according to local media reports. Over 150 houses, 106 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, and 14 bridges have been affected by the adverse weather, which also claimed the lives of 164 cows. "Our focus now is on search, rescue, and restoration," D C Rana, head of the local disaster management authority, told the media. Himachal Pradesh's State Disaster Response Force personnel carried a pregnant woman in a palanquin for several miles to admit her in a hospital on Wednesday, according to a report by NDTV. Other reports shared stories of entire villages being swept away in the state. A few states in the Indian plains have also been affected by severe rainfall. Adequate numbers of National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed for relief efforts in affected states, Indian Home MinisterAmit Shahwrote in a post on X. He added that reinforcements would also be sent. The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in northwestern and central India over the next week, with peak intensity expected in the northwest July 6-7. Eastern India is also likely to witness significant rainfall until July 7, the department said. In June, heavy floods in the Himalayan region of India caused at least 36 deaths and affected more than 500,000 people. (
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- India Gazette
Heavy rains kill 63 people in northern India media
Strong monsoon downpours have resulted in floods and landslides, and swept away villages in a Himalayan state Heavy monsoon rains over a course of two weeks have claimed the lives of at least 63 people in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities said on Thursday. The torrential rains have led to floods, damaged roads, and the cutting off of many villages in the Himalayan state, according to local media reports. Over 150 houses, 106 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, and 14 bridges have been affected by the adverse weather, which also claimed the lives of 164 cows. "Our focus now is on search, rescue, and restoration," D C Rana, head of the local disaster management authority, told the media. Himachal Pradesh's State Disaster Response Force personnel carried a pregnant woman in a palanquin for several miles to admit her in a hospital on Wednesday, according to a report by NDTV. Other reports shared stories of entire villages being swept away in the state. A few states in the Indian plains have also been affected by severe rainfall. Adequate numbers of National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed for relief efforts in affected states, Indian Home MinisterAmit Shahwrote in a post on X. He added that reinforcements would also be sent. The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in northwestern and central India over the next week, with peak intensity expected in the northwest July 6-7. Eastern India is also likely to witness significant rainfall until July 7, the department said. In June, heavy floods in the Himalayan region of India caused at least 36 deaths and affected more than 500,000 people. (
