The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) rescued 15 crew members of a cargo ship that was stranded at 180 Nautical Miles South of Karachi, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.
Pakistan Navy and PMSA on Sunday conducted a joint operation in the exclusive economic zone of Pakistani sea to rescue the crew of Merchant Vessel [MV] Suvari H — sailing from Kandla, India to Bossasso, Somalia.
The ship, with 18 crew members on board, sank on Friday due to strong winds and tide. Emergency messages were sent by the crew before sinking.
According to the press release, the PMSA’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted that cargo ship Suvari H had gotten stranded approximately 180 nautical miles in the sea south of Karachi.
Upon receiving the information Pakistan Navy aircraft on air surveillance was directed to the sinking site and a PMSA aircraft and a ship were also immediately dispatched for assistance.
“Pakistan Navy in coordination with PMSA immediately tasked ships and aircraft to provide assistance to the stranded ship and save precious lives,” the ISPR said.
After arriving at the scene, navy and PMSA aircraft dropped life rafts to assist the stranded crew and coordinated their recovery through nearby merchant vessel MT Elan Vital, it added. Five crew members were immediately rescued.
So far, 15 crew members of the stranded ship have been rescued, while three are still missing. Pakistan Navy and PMSA are conducting search operations through ships and aircrafts around the reported position to find the missing members.
“Pakistan Navy, being [the] overall coordinator of Navarea IX, always accords priority to maritime safety and responds immediately to render assistance to shipping community in distress at sea,” said Pakistan N
The entire crew of the sunken ship belongs to Syria.