Coast Guard, The Rescue of Navy 177 on Barge

Sixty people aboard were rescued by 11 pm and the rest at night, the official said, adding that a Navy helicopter had brought three lifeguards to the INS Shikra this morning.

Parts of India flagged with Tug Coromondel Supporter IX’ flooded after an earthquake in the northwest of Bangalore. (PTI photo)
In a high-profile operation, the Coast Guard and Navy rescued 177 men at the ONGC offshore operation at ONGC off the coast of Mumbai, which collided with strong winds and rain from Hurricane Tautkae on Monday.

Sixty people aboard were rescued by 11 pm and the rest at night, the official said, adding that a Navy helicopter had brought three lifeguards to the INS Shikra this morning.

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Navy ships were dispatched on Monday after receiving a request for help with the ‘P305’ barge from the Heera oil fields in the Bombay high ground with 273 crew members. The oil fields are located about 40 miles [70 km] southwest of Mumbai.

Four Marine Shipping vessels, two Navy vessels, and one merchant were sent to rescue four boats, which serve as a shelter for men working on the PSU’s oil-rich rig. The four ships began sending distress signals after Hurricane Tauktae at Coast Guard, the naval control room, and their control room.

Cool Guard IDIG T Ashish crew said an estimated 800 people were on the four ships, but no one was counted.

Sixty rescued men were aboard the P 305, which had 261 crew members and crew members. The boat capsized after hitting an empty rig.

Coast Guard Inspector General (west) Anand Badola told The Indian Express, “P 305 was 57 nautical kilometers southwest near Prongs Light House (south of Mumbai) and hit an unoccupied road due to bad weather. There was a failure of steering, and water began to enter the boat. It is a lifeboat and is used by ONGC and other staff. When we received a call for help, we warned other merchant ships to help him, but they failed. Neither the Coast nor the Navy was able to open helicopters due to inclement weather.”

SAR efforts will continue throughout the day, with several marine assets ready to increase SAR sustainability.
The Navy on Tuesday morning also used long-range P-8I aircraft to join the search and rescue operation, the official said.

Badola said Coast Guard ship Sankalp had been sent for help, and Army spokesman Commander Mehul Karnik said the Western Naval Command had sent INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to help people with P 305.

INS Kolkata rescued separately two other men who were in danger of losing their lives.

A naval officer said the sea was so rough, that it made it impossible to steer rescue vessels and the only way to get people out of the boat was to use life rafts. A statement from the Navy said the rescue operations of all four ships were being carried out “in tough sea conditions” and would continue overnight.

Shipping Director-General Amitabh Kumar said they received messages and asked for Coast Guard assistance.

SAR activity continued overnight, and 177 people from Barge P305 were rescued.
A second Gal Constructor with 137 persons located 44 nautical miles from Tarapur is also in distress. The Water Lily emergency boat from the Directorate General of Shipping was sent to rescue, and it is said that he arrived on the ship, with an engine problem. On Tuesday morning, Coast Guard ship Samrat will once again reach out to assist with rescue operations.

Another boat called the Support Station 3 sailed 58 nautical miles west of Prongs Light House. A fourth ship, the Modusagar Bhushan, carrying 202 men, traveled 53 miles [53 km] northwest of Phongs Light. He lost his smoke, Badola said.
Four ships of the Coast Guard, Sankalp, Samrat, and Samarth, were sent to search and rescue.
ONGC spokesperson Harish Awal declined to comment on the rescue operations.