The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has detained four foreigners from a boat, approximately 46 nautical miles off the Tamil Nadu coast, defence officials said on Sunday. As per the Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO), the ICG swiftly carried out the coordinated sea-air operation, when the suspect boat was initially reported by a fishing boat to an ICG Dornier aircraft.
Officials of two ICG ships apprehended the individuals onboard the wooden boat on December 6. The detained individuals were handed over to the Coastal Security Group (CSG) of Tamil Nadu Police.
ICG rescues 12 individuals
Earlier on December 4, the ICG rescued 12 crew members of the sunken Indian vessel MSV Al Piranpir from the North Arabian Sea. This humanitarian search and rescue mission was carried out in close collaboration between the ICG and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA). During the operation, both nations' Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) maintained continuous communication, the Defence wing said in a press release.
The mechanised sailing vessel (Dhow) Al Piranpir, which had departed from Porbandar en route to Bandar Abbas in Iran, reportedly sank early in the morning of December 4 due to rough seas and flooding. ICG's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a distress call in Mumbai, which promptly alerted ICG Regional Headquarters (North West) in Gandhinagar.
ICG Ship Sarthak was immediately diverted to the reported location. Moreover, MRCC Pakistan was also contacted so as to alert mariners in the area. Their assistance was swiftly provided after the contact was established.
In a post on X, ICG said, "The vessel sank on 04 Dec 24, however, the crew had abandoned the ship on a dinghy. This humanitarian mission saw close collaboration between ICG and Pak MSA, with both nations' MRCCs maintaining coordination throughout the operation and Pak MSA aircraft assisting in search of survivors." This humanitarian search and rescue mission saw close collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), with both nations' Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) maintaining continuous communication throughout the operation, the official statement said.
(With inputs from agencies)
