Fishing boat rescued by Coast Guard vessel

New Delhi: Indian Coast Guard ship Abhiraj today rescued a stranded fishing boat with seven crew members on board off the Tamil Nadu coast, the maritime agency said.

The distress ship was supposed to return back to the harbour on November 5 after completing a fishing venture, but had an engine failure.

“The Department of Fisheries, Thoothukudi informed the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Chennai about the distress fishing boat. Subsequently, the message was conveyed to ICGS Abhiraj, who was already at sea, to conduct a search- and-rescue operation,” the Coast Guard said.

The ship has been towed back to Thoothukudi, the nearest port.