All Crew Members Of Ship Stranded In Alibag Coast Airlifted By Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard on Friday airlifted 14 crew members of JSW Raigad, a long bulk carrier vessel that drifted off the Alibag coast in Maharashtra's Raigad district after its engine stopped functioning.

A chopper of the Coast Guard was engaged in the operation, which started around 9 am, and all the 14 crew members of the tugboat were safely evacuated, said Somnath Gharge, Raigad Superintendent of Police.

The Coast Guard chopper picked up the crew from the tugboat and safely dropped them at Alibag beach, he said.

"At the early hours of July 26, despite adverse conditions limiting air operations, ICG launched a daring operation to evacuate the crew from the stranded vessel. All 14 crew were successfully evacuated from the vessel by CG helicopter and safely disembarked at Alibag beach," the Coast Guard said.

At 1:27pm on July 25, Indian Coast Guard ship Sankalp on Patrol and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai received a distress call from JSW Raigad, a 121.6 m long bulk carrier with 14 Indian crew anchored off Alibag, it said.

"The vessel reported anchor dragging and loss of control. This was further worsened by flooding in the engine room. In turbulent sea conditions, the vessel ran aground on reefs, one nautical mile from Alibag," the ICG statement added.

In view of the extreme sea conditions of the Maharashtra coast and reefs in the area, airlift was the only option left, the Coast Guard said.

A small carrier vessel operated by JSW got caught in the stormy weather between Jaigarh and Salav as it drifted due to strong winds and low visibility, the JSW Group had said in a statement on Thursday.

Police had said that the tugboat went adrift after its engine stopped functioning near the Kolaba fort off the Alibag coast on Thursday.