Indian Coast Guard Rescues Crew from Liberian Vessel

The Indian Coast Guard conducted a medical evacuation of a 59-year-old Indian crew member suffering from chest pain on the Liberian flagged merchant vessel Lila Lisbon off the Paradip port. The evacuation took place on March 16, with the patient being handed over to the shipping agent at Paradip for further medical management. In a separate operation on the same day, the INS Kolkata carried out a 40-hour rescue mission, coercing 35 pirates to surrender and safely extracting 17 crew members from the hijacked vessel Ruen, located approximately 2600 km away from the Indian Coast.

Through sustained high-tempo operations, the INS Kolkata thwarted the designs of Somali pirates attempting to hijack ships in the Arabian Sea. In a previous incident, the Indian Coast Guard successfully rescued 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, from the MV Lila Norfolk after an attempted hijacking. The Indian Navy responded to a distress call from the Liberian flagged vessel off the coast of Somalia and conducted sanitization operations on the ship to deter the pirates. The navy’s warship INS Chennai assisted in the rescue operation and emphasized its commitment to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region.

The Indian Coast Guard has been actively involved in preventing hijacking attempts by pirates in the Arabian Sea, successfully rescuing crew members from hijacked vessels. The navy has employed various tactics, including warnings from marine patrol aircraft and interception by naval warships, to deter piracy in the region. The Indian Navy remains dedicated to safeguarding merchant shipping, working with international partners and friendly foreign countries to maintain maritime security.

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