VISAKHAPATNAM: At least nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu, stranded 95 nautical miles away from Andhra Pradesh coast, were rescued in an air-sea coordinated mission by the Indian Coast Guard Ship on Tuesday.
The fishermen were on board a fishing boat named FB Saint Antony.
The boat had sailed from Chennai on March 13 and developed a technical snag on the main engine on March 25. Since then, it had been drifting away from land. The stranded boat along with the distressed crew was located by the Indian Coast Guard aircraft operating from Chennai of Eastern SeaBoard and the crew was comforted.
The ICG ship Priyadarshini patrolling in the area was diverted for assistance. The ship provided technical support, rectified the detection, and made the boat operational. According to the ICG authorities, all nine crew are reported to be healthy. The boat was escorted to the nearest Andhra Coast at Visakhapatnam soon.
The authorities said that the incident once again highlights the disadvantages of fishing boats venturing out alone. They advised the fishermen to undertake fishing in groups, adhere to safety practices at sea and carry adequate life-saving appliances and communication equipment on board.
