Pak Navy ship rescues Indian boat in open sea

ISLAMABAD: The Indian fishing boat crew raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans as Pakistan Navy ship rescued them in open sea.

Pakistan Navy Ship Alamgir (Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate) while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSOs) in Gulf of Aden undertook successful rescue operation of a stranded Indian fishing dhow “St Marys”. The Indian fishing boat which sailed from Indian port of Colochel was reported to become non-operational due to loss of engine propulsion in open sea near Salalah (Oman) for last 8 days with 12 crew men onboard.

On receipt of information and request for help about the fishing dhow, Pakistan Navy ship was promptly dispatched which through its technical team rectified the defect in the boat and made it operational and sea worthy.

Rectification of defect required miscellaneous repairs including gearbox removal and refixing followed by alignments and repairs through improvised solutions by technical team onboard the Indian boat. The stranded boat crew was dehydrated and also required medical care and edibles.

The spokesman of Pakistan Navy said that PNS Alamgir rescue team provided edibles and medical care to the crew members of the Indian fishing dhow. Master and crew of the stranded boat thanked for the kind gesture and swift response of Pakistan Navy Ship. The fishing dhow thereafter shaped course to India port. The spokesman said that Pakistan Navy ships are active participants of Multinational Task Force-150 and Task Force-151 which are mandated to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSOs) and anti-piracy respectively.

Since 2004, Pakistan Navy has been a major contributor of ships and aircraft in these multinational task forces. Role and contribution of Pakistan Navy to maintain peace and order at sea has been widely acknowledged in the world. "The rescue operation by Pakistan Navy also manifests the strong commitment and resolve of the government of Pakistan to promote and safeguard peace in the region," he said.