VINOD BHAT
Delhi, OCT 28;
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully conducted a long-range medical evacuation of a critically injured Iranian fisherman with injuries to both eyes and deep lacerations on the right ear due to an explosion during fuel transfer to the generator on the fishing dhow Al-Owais. The five-crew vessel with engine failure was located in the middle of Arabian Sea, approximately 1,500 km west of Kochi, Kerala.
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai received information from MRCC Chabahar, Iran, regarding the medical emergency and activated the International Safety Net to alert vessels in the vicinity & initiate coordinated assistance. ICG Ship Sachet on return passage from an overseas deployment to East African countries and MT STI Grace which is a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker enroute from Kuwait to Moroni, were directed to render immediate assistance. The crew of the tanker after rendezvousing with Al-Owais, administered tele-medical first aid & stabilisation under guidance from ICG medical personnel.
Further, MT STI Grace met with ICG Ship Sachet for patient transfer and further medical management. The injured fisherman is currently receiving ongoing medical treatment onboard ICG Ship Sachet, which is proceeding towards Goa for further procedures.
The complex, challenging rescue, underscores the ICG’s commitment to maritime safety and humanitarian assistance beyond national boundaries, reaffirming its role as a credible and dependable maritime search and rescue agency in the Indian Ocean Region.
