PMSA rescues nine crew members of Indian cargo vessel

Vessel reported water ingress on Dec 26, prompting crew to abandon vessel, says maritime security agency

Representational image of PMSA ship. — PMSA website/File

PMSA says it deployed aircraft to rescue Indian crew members.
Aircraft successfully located survivors, says martime agency.
This marks second such operation by PMSA in three weeks.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has conducted a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to rescue nine crew members of the Indian cargo dhow — Tajdare Haram — as the latters abandoned the vessel after water entered it at about 120 nautical miles south of Karachi.

“The vessel reported water ingress at around 11am on December 26, prompting the crew to abandon the vessel and take refuge in a life raft,” the PMSA said.

PMSA aircraft involved in the operation. —PMSA/ File

Upon receiving the distress alert from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai, PMSA immediately launched a coordinated rescue effort, it said.

The PMSA deployed an aircraft and directed nearby merchant vessels and PMSA ships to reach at the scene of the incident. The PMSA aircraft successfully located the survivors and facilitated the Indian Coast Guard vessel operating in nearby Indian waters for subsequent recovery.

An aerial view of a part of the sunken vessel. —PMSA

This marks the second such successful operation by the PMSA in the past three weeks. On December 4, PMSA rescued 12 Indian crew members from MSV Peeran-e-Peer in a similar SAR mission.

In a statement, the PMSA had said the MRCC received an “urgent email” from MRCC Mumbai India, requesting assistance to locate and rescue survivors from the sunken vessel.

“The vessel was reported to have sunk in the exclusive economic zone of Pakistan, with its 12 crew members stranded on a life raft in distress,” it had stated.

The survivors can be seen on a life raft. —PMSA

In response, the Pakistan maritime agency had initiated a coordinated rescue operation involving multiple assets and agencies.

The swift response and effective coordination resulted in the successful rescue of all 12 survivors of Indian cargo vessel, the PMSA had said.

“The PMSA remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring maritime safety and upholding international obligations under the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention. Such operations underscore the PMSA’s dedication to saving lives at sea, regardless of nationality, and fostering regional maritime cooperation,” it added.