KARACHI: The Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency were able to save the lives of nine Indian sailors whose tug was stranded at sea.
Ocean Tug SAS-5 registered to Saint Kitts and Nevis was out of service for several days near the Indian coast at a position of 167 NM South East of Karachi. The tug suffered a failure of its electrical generators and was without electrical power.
“In the early hours of February 24, the Pakistan Navy’s Joint Maritime Information and Coordination Center (JMICC) received a distress signal from the ocean,” the statement said.
The long-range maritime patrol aircraft was tasked with locating the tug at sea, followed by a search and rescue operation by Pakistan’s maritime security ship Kashmir, which the navy said was deployed for routine maritime security operations in the area.
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“On reaching the distressed tug, PMSS KASHMIR secured the tug alongside and after three hours of strenuous repair efforts, the defect was removed,” the Navy said. The tugboat lost electrical power before being rescued.
In addition to technical assistance, medical equipment, fresh water and cooked meals were also provided to the tugboat’s tired crew. After completing the SAR operation, the tugboat successfully proceeded to the next port in Sharjah UAE.
