Clean chit for intercepted Kuwait-bound vessel

A joint investigation into interception of a Kuwait-bound vessel by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off the Gujarat coast has revealed that it was not engaged in any suspicious activities, the agency said Saturday.

The ICG said the vessel, which had left Indonesia on April 27, was intercepted when it was being towed off the Mul Dwarka coast under suspicious circumstances, and brought to the Mul Dwarka harbour.

Another vessel, which was also sailing towards Kuwait from Indonesia, had sank off the Diu coast in Gujarat, the ICG said in a release.

A joint investigation and rummaging of the suspicious vessel, OSV Esnaad 712, by the ICG, the Marine Police, the Customs, and the Anti-Terrorist Squad, has confirmed that it was not engaged in any suspicious activity, it stated.

"All the investigating agencies have confirmed that the vessel is not engaged in any suspicious activity," the ICG stated.

It was revealed during investigation that tug 'Nadia Adib' was initially towing two OSVs--Esnaad 711 and Esnaad 712--of which Esnaad 711 sank off the Diu coast due to flooding, the ICG said.

"The fact that a vessel sank off Gujarat coast was not disclosed to the Indian authority," it said, adding that this is being confirmed.

The ICG district headquarters at Porbandar Thursday received information about satellite transmission emitted from an unknown vessel off the Diu coast, following which it was intercepted. It was identified as Esnaad 712.

"The vessel was transmitting her name as 'Sea Shell' on automatic identification system and not the actual name. During the initial radio interrogation, the vessel was suspected to be concealing facts, falsely reporting movement to VTMS Khambhat for emergency anchoring off Diu due to shortage of fuel and water," it said.

Further investigation is underway.