Indian Coast Guard Rescues 31 Fishermen Stranded in Arabian Sea for 11 Days
The crew of a Goa-based fishing boat was saved after drifting over 100 nautical miles off Mangaluru due to a steering failure.
Mangaluru: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully rescued 31 fishermen who were stranded in the Arabian Sea for 11 days after their boat suffered a major mechanical failure.
According to an official statement, the fishing vessel IFB Sant Anton-I, registered in Goa, went adrift about 100 nautical miles off the New Mangalore coast following a steering gear breakdown. When the boat failed to return and communication was lost, the ICG’s Karnataka headquarters launched an immediate search operation.
The Coast Guard deployed its patrol vessel ICGS Kasturba Gandhi along with a Dornier surveillance aircraft from Kochi to trace the missing fishermen. Despite rough seas and bad weather, the teams used real-time weather data and inputs from the Integrated Operations Centre to estimate the boat’s possible drift pattern.
On Saturday, the Dornier aircraft located the stranded vessel, allowing ICGS Kasturba Gandhi to reach the spot. The crew provided emergency assistance, including damage inspection, temporary steering repairs, and safety checks to ensure the vessel remained seaworthy.
The Coast Guard then coordinated with another fishing boat to tow IFB Sant Anton-I safely to Honnavar fishing harbour. All 31 fishermen were reported to be in good health.
The ICG emphasized that timely coordination and effective use of technology played a key role in the successful rescue.
