Indian Navy rescues 36 fishermen stranded in Bay of Bengal

PTI, Jul 29, 2023, 12:53 PM IST

The Navy on Saturday said it has rescued 36 Indian fishermen who were stranded in the Bay of Bengal.

The fishermen were rescued by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Khanjar, it added.

”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,” Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

”The fishermen were onboard three fishing vessels, which were towed by INS Khanjar for more than 30 hours in challenging sea conditions,” he said.

INS Khanjar was on an operational deployment in the Bay of Bengal.

It detected three fishing vessels — Sabarainathan, Kalaivani and V Sami — approximately 130 nm from the Tamil Nadu coast. ”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,” Commander Madhwal said.

He 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.