The Indian Coast Guard rescued the crew of 10 people from a stranded fishing boat off the coast of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on April 26. Coast Guard officials stated that they responded to a distress call from the IFB Rijomon, which had been adrift for five days due to a machinery breakdown

Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard rescued the crew of 10 people from a stranded fishing boat off the coast of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on April 26. Coast Guard officials stated that they responded to a distress call from the IFB Rijomon (IND-TN15-MM-5792), which had been adrift for five days due to a machinery breakdown.

Responding to the distress alert received via communication set from MV Hari Anand, the Coast Guard Ship Apoorva braved rough weather conditions to reach the stranded vessel approximately 114 nautical miles from the coast. The Apoorva made contact with the stranded boat by 5:30pm.

Following a technical assessment that revealed the dire situation onboard the IFB Rijomon, including low food and water supplies, the Apoorva deployed its boarding along with a technical team to assist. By 8:40 pm, the Apoorva towed the IFB Rijomon towards Ratnagiri harbour, maintaining a vigilant watch despite challenging sea conditions throughout the night.

On April 27, 2024, at 1:25pm, the Apoorva arrived at Ratnagiri along with the IFB Rijomon, where it was handed over to IFB Abdul Latif Khatun (IND-MH04-MM-677) for further towage into the harbour for repairs. The owner of IFB Rijomon expressed gratitude to the Indian Coast Guard for their timely assistance, acknowledging the rescue of ten lives despite the challenging sea conditions.

(With Agency Inputs)