Disaster on sea averted
A joint operation by the Coast Guard and Gujarat police helped avert a major maritime disaster by defusing a live grenade lodged in a tanker registered in Greece.
According to an official spokesman of the Coast Guard on Monday, the operation in mid-sea was undertaken early on Sunday morning following information that a live Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) was lying in the accommodation structure of the Motor Tanker Aegea. The tanker, which set sail from Antwerp on March 4, was on its way to Sikka port in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. About 400 nautical miles away from Porbandar, the ship was attacked by pirates equipped with small arms and RPGs.
One RPG hit the accommodation structure of the ship but did not explode. All the crew members on board were safe.
The Coast Guard regional headquarters in Gandhinagar was informed about the unexploded grenade and it immediately formulated an emergency plan to undertake a joint operation with the police and the Navy.
Soure: The Hindu
