Visakhapatnam: The Indian Coast Guard rescued 13 people from a Singapore-bound cargo ship stranded off the Andhra Pradesh coast on Thursday.
The Coast Guard said the operation was underway to rescue seven others on the ship.
According to an official statement, the Coast Guard intensified rescue operations, deploying a helicopter to evacuate those trapped onboard the merchant ship.
It said 13 people were brought aboard the Coast Guard ship ‘Sujay’.
The bulk carrier, ‘Sigma Pearl’, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was stranded near Antarvedi while navigating through the Ravva oilfield due to engine failure.
The cargo ship was suspected to have suffered engine failure under the impact of severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ in the Bay of Bengal.
The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and a vessel as part of its operation to rescue members of the crew. The Coast Guard personnel were using the helipad at Mogalthur village in West Godavari district for the rescue efforts.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Sujay’ was also sent towards the stranded ship.
The ship suffered an engine failure while returning to Singapore after unloading at Visakhapatnam port.
The vessel departed from Visakhapatnam port around 12.17 a.m. on October 27, around the time Cyclone Arnab was approaching Yanam before making landfall in the early hours of October 28.
The MarineTraffic portal, which tracks vessel movements, showed the status of the ship as “Vessel is out of range” two days ago. Its last recorded movement was along its intended route.
Very severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of October 28 with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph, gusting up to 150 kmph.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the process continued for six hours till 8 a.m.
The cyclone claimed four lives, leaving a trail of destruction in coastal districts, uprooting thousands of trees, electricity poles and causing extensive damage to crops.
(IANS)
