The capsized fishing boat was spotted on Sunday morning with six survivors atop it
New Delhi: In a coordinated operation between Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and merchant vessel MV YM Summit on Sunday rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen from rough seas, about 170 NM east of Chennai.
In a statement issued here, the Indian Coast Guard said the merchant vessel was on her way to Visakhapatnam when she sighted a capsised fishing boat with six survivors atop.
The merchant vessel transmitted the information to MRCC, Mumbai, which shared it with MRCC, Chennai for further coordination, the statement said.
The six survivors are identified as natives of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.
In a coordinated operation spanning across oceans invlvg two MRCCs Merchantmen & @IndiaCoastGuard, resulted in MV Summit rescuing six fishermen from a capsized Srilankan fishing boat today morning abt 170 NM East of Chennai @DefenceMinIndia @mansukhmandviya pic.twitter.com/MS1xRzgRDr
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) July 5, 2020
They were reportedly stranded and adrift at sea, braving the vagaries of rough weather for four days.
The MRCC, Chennai further, coordinated with the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission here and MRCC Colombo to verify their credentials and arrange for their safe return to home.
The incident emphasises the necessity of greater cooperation amongst Regional Maritime neighbours towards strengthening the colloborative framework for ensuring safety of mariners and fishermen at sea.
India and Sri Lanka have a robust cooperative framework in place in the form of a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Coast Guards and the MRCCs of both the countries.
The successful rescue operation also reiterates the Indian Coast Guard’s resolve towards providing Search and Rescue cover in the vast indomitable sea areas and also highlights the synergy and coordination between the Merchant Marine and the Indian Coast Guard, towards safety of lives at sea.
The Indian Coast Guard remains committed to ensure ‘Safe, Secure and Clean seas’ in the Indian sub continent, it added.
