- The ship supplied the fishing vessels with the necessary provisions and towed them for more than 30 hours, ensuring their safe return to the Chennai harbour on Friday: Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal
NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 29
The Navy on Saturday announced that it has rescued 36 fishermen stranded in high seas off the coast of Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal. After suspected trouble with engine stalled their boats mid-sea, the fishermen had been adrift for over two days, in challenging weather conditions, at the mercy of the elements. INS Khanjar, engaged in patrolling duties in the Bay of Bengal, detected the three distressed boats adrift in rough seas.
⚓️#indiannavy rescues 36 Indian #Fishermen belonging to #TamilNadu.
⚓️#INSKhanjar, on deployment in the #BayofBengal, detected 3 Indian #FishingVessels adrift in the rough seas, approx. 130 NM off the coast of #TamilNadu on 27 July.@DefenceMinIndia @Min_FAHD @CMOTamilnadu pic.twitter.com/YvE77922gp
— Eastern Naval Command (@IN_HQENC) July 29, 2023
After immediate assistance by way of provisions, the warship towed the boats for over 30 hours, safely bringing them alongside in Chennai harbour.
“Indian Naval Ship Khanjar, Mission Deployed in the Bay of Bengal, has safely brought back 36 Indian fishermen who were stranded 130 nautical miles from the Tamil Nadu coast,” said Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal.
“The fishermen were onboard three fishing vessels, which were towed by INS Khanjar for more than 30 hours in challenging sea conditions,” he added.
It detected three fishing vessels – Sabarainathan, Kalaivani and V Sami – approximately 130 nm from the Tamil Nadu coast.
#IndianNavy's missile corvette #INSKhanjar accorded a warm welcome by @srilanka_navy in Trincomalee.
Professional interactions, sports fixtures & visit onboard scheduled during the stay.🇮🇳-🇱🇰 #BridgesofFriendship#Interoperability @IN_HQENC @IndiainSLhttps://t.co/eHcCK08TKX pic.twitter.com/F6rGcYaYg5
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) July 29, 2023
“The vessels with 36 fishermen onboard were from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. They had been stranded at sea for over two days due to rough weather conditions, without fuel, provisions and engine breakdown,” said Commander Madhwal said.
He also said the ship supplied the fishing vessels with the necessary provisions and towed them for more than 30 hours, ensuring their safe return to the Chennai harbour on Friday.
