Kochi, May 25: Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sujata successfully rescued the remaining three crew members of a Liberian-flagged container ship that capsized in the Arabian Sea, about 70 km off the coast of Kochi in Kerala in the early hours of Sunday (May 25).
This was confirmed by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) through an official statement.
As per reports, the ship was on its way from Vizhinjam to Kochi when it met with the accident. It was supposed to reach Kochi by Saturday evening, but it began to flood and capsized in the early hours of May 25. The flooding is believed to have started in one of the ship’s storage areas, causing it to sink.
According to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), three crew members — the Captain, Chief Engineer, and Second Engineer — were still on board when the ship went down. They were rescued by INS Sujata, which had joined the rescue mission the previous evening. The other 21 crew members were rescued earlier on Saturday.
“All 24 crew members are now safe,” said the ICG in a statement. They have also launched an investigation into the incident and are working with state authorities to manage any risks to the environment.
Before the ship sank, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) had warned of a possible spill of harmful materials into the sea. The ship was carrying marine gas oil and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), which is used to meet international fuel pollution standards.
Around 10 containers fell into the sea during the accident, some of which contained oil products used in shipping.
Further details in this regard are awaited.
