Coast Guard rescues 13 Indian crew members from sinking merchant tanker

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Wednesday coordinated the rescue of 13 Indian crew members from a Merchant tanker MT Reem, following flooding in its engine room.

The tanker which was on its way from Basrah in Iran to Hazira in India, about 210 NM from Okha, Gujarat began to sink rapidly and sent out a distress signal.

"Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai immediately on receipt of the distress at 0805 hours, established contact with both the ship and MRCC Karachi as the position was 90 Nautical Miles inside Pakistan Search and Rescue Region. In addition, MRCC Mumbai identified MV Ganga which was operating in close vicinity and directed the vessel to rescue the crew in distress", an official statement said.

All the 13 crew members were rescued by MV Ganga at 1140 hours today despite severe rough sea conditions.