Tag: Coast Guard

More operational and legal teeth to Navy and Coast Guard India now plans to take the battle to the pirates, with measures finalized to give more operational and legal teeth to Navy and Coast Guard. This will enable the two maritime forces to operate "much more aggressively" against sea brigands on the high seas than ever before.Under the new "rules of engagement" and standard operating procedures firmed up, Indian warships will now engage or disable pirate ships in "a far more pro-active manner"."Till now, our warships were usually opening fire in self-defence or if pirates were found attacking or hijacking merchant vessels. The new measures will also include stepped-up VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) operations. But force used will be proportional to resistance offered, in line with UN laws," said a source.There will also be some additional deployment of warships off the coast of Somalia as well as Arabian Sea to "sanitize" the routes being taken by Indian-flagged merchant vessels.With the government being criticized for its lackadaisical attitude to the entire piracy issue, and 53 Indian sailors still in the captivity of Somali pirates, the Cabinet Committee on Security met under PM Manmohan Singh on Friday to approve a ...

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

Philippine Coast Guard to promote maritime safety The Philippine Coast Guard District, Northern Mindanao (PCGDNM) will always direct its activities towards their mission to promote maritime safety, conserve marine resources and waterways and guard against violations of maritime laws.Thus assured Commodore Elson E. Hermogino, Commander of PCGDNM, who said activities along Marine Environmental Protection (MAREP), Marine Safety Administration (MARSAD) and Marine Search and Rescue (MARSAR) took the bulk of their accomplishments for 2010."We were able to navigate through the changes and challenges of the times as Northern Mindanao transformed itself into one of the economical catalyst of the country," he said.Hermogino also said PCGDNM planted some 15,000 mangrove propagules within a total area of eight (8) square miles covering all its stations and detachments and conducted coastal clean-ups, under the "SCUBAsurero" project, as among their activities of the 109th PCG Anniversary celebrated last October.It also conducted various symposia and training seminars to local government units and private corporations in the Oil Spill Control and Prevention drills participated by the various shipping lines operating in the region.Meanwhile, PCGDNM was able to maintain its 98% operating efficiency in all its 54 light stations of the region, while its daily deployment of K9 ...

A continuous effort to tackle piracy After one of its fast attack craft sunk a pirate mother ship near Lakshadweep, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma today said his force will continue to carry out "heavy patrolling" against pirates there."We have already put in very heavy patrolling as far as our waters are concerned and that is the reason why this pirate ship could be tackled...This effort would continue," he told reporters here.Last week, a Naval Fast Attack Craft (FAC) sunk a pirate mothership named 'Prantalay' 75 miles off Lakshadweep saving the 20-member crew of the hijacked vessel on-board and arrested 15 pirates from it.To thwart any piracy attempts around Lakshadweep, the Coast Guard along with the Navy has launched the Operation Island Watch along the Lakshadweep Islands.Noting that the joint Coast Guard and Navy patrols were keeping a strict vigil there, he said, "That is why it just did not carry out an attack and escape and that is why in good time, we could detect it and take action."In the recent past, activities of pirates around Lakshadweep have increased and they were also successful in hijacking a Bangladeshi-flagged merchant vessel about 90 nautical miles off Kochi and 80 nautical ...

Crew saved in sinking The Seychelles Coast Guard yesterday rescued 13 Pakistanis after their ship sank.Three were stranded on a sand bank 130 nautical miles from Mahe.Ten others who were earlier missing were later rescued as they drifted 100 nautical miles from Mahe on a large white open life boat whose engine seems to have failed.Coast guard commander Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Rosette said this in an interview after the rescue.He said the MV Ras Kigomasha had 13 passengers on board when it took on water and sank near the African Bank.The vessel was previously being used to carry passengers and cargo between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania."We got information from a representative of the vessel on Wednesday, saying it was on its way from Tanzania to India, where it was going to be scrapped," he said."On Thursday the rep flew here and told us the vessel was around the African Bank."We dispatched an aircraft and on the same day we found the vessel and saw the three people. We sent two coast guard vessels, which rescued them yesterday."He said the 13 reached the bank but the captain sent three of them ashore to see if there were people on the uninhabited bank, ...

A frantic search is underway off the UK An air and sea search is underway after a man went missing from a P&O Highlander ferry in Cairnryan.Clyde Coastguard are co-ordinating the search for the man who was reported missing by a coach driver after the ferry docked at about 0930 GMT.The ferry is being searched and a Royal Navy rescue helicopter and lifeboats from Larne, Portpatrick and Stranraer are searching for him.Larne RNLI said the search is concentrated on Lough Ryan.A P&O spokesperson said they had searched the ship and were assisting authorities to locate the passenger.Source: BBC

Freighter collided with fishing vessel in Mediterranean In the morning of Jan 6, 2011, at 7 a.m. the 25-m-f/v "Valentina" which had departed from its homepor Marzaro at 3.30 a.m. and was bound to Pantelleria, was in collision with the "Kliftrans" which was underway from Turchia to Cardiff.The Coastguard from Mazara del Vallo was soon on scene at the accident site 30 miles south of Lampedusa. 3 of the crew of 7 of the "Valentina" were injured and had to be saved by the patrol boat "CP 850". The men from Tunesia and Sicilia were medically treated in the hospital Abele Jello, and two of them meanwhile released.The trawler which suffered water ingress through a large hole in the bow was dewatered, and at 12.30 a.m. the casualty reached Trapani, escorted by the f/v "Mamma Maria". The "Kliftrans" was directed to Porto Empedocle. Prosecutors from Marsala stared investigations since.Source: Vesseltracker