Mangaluru: Cargo ship beached off Ullal coast; All 15 crew rescued by Indian Coast Guard

Mangaluru: In a swift search and rescue (SAR) mission, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) saved 15 Syrian mariners from foreign-flag merchant ship MV Princess Miral that ran aground, an official release said here on Wednesday.

The crew of MV Princess Miral abandoned the ship following a breach in the hull, which led to ingress of water, and the vessel ran aground on Tuesday.

Responding to a call for rescue, Coast Guard ships Vikram and Amartya braved rough waters to reach the foreign vessel and rescue the crew, the ICG release said.

The vessel was carrying 8,000 tonnes of steel coil from Tianjin in China to Beirut in Lebanon.

The successful operation reaffirms Indian Coast Guard’s capabilities as the nodal agency for search and rescue operations in the Indian Ocean region, the ICG said in the release.

Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner K V Rajendra said the vessel ran aground five to six nautical miles away from the Ullal shore.