13 rescued from Singapore-bound vessel off Andhra coast; seven await evacuation

Visakhapatnam: The Indian Coast Guard rescued 13 people from a Singapore-bound cargo ship stranded off the Andhra Pradesh coast on Thursday.

The Coast Guard said the operation was underway to rescue seven others aboard the ship.

According to an official statement, the Coast Guard intensified rescue operations, deploying a helicopter to evacuate those trapped aboard the merchant vessel.

It said 13 people were brought aboard the Coast Guard ship Sujay.

The bulk carrier, Sigma Pearl, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was stranded near Antarvedi while navigating through the Ravva oilfield following an engine failure.

The cargo ship was suspected to have suffered engine failure amid the impact of severe cyclonic storm Arnab in the Bay of Bengal.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and a vessel as part of its operation to rescue the crew members. Coast Guard personnel were using the helipad at Mogalthur village in West Godavari district for the rescue efforts.

The Indian Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Vessel Sujay was also sent towards the stranded ship.

The vessel suffered engine failure while returning to Singapore after unloading its cargo at Visakhapatnam port.

The ship departed from Visakhapatnam port around 12.17 a.m. on October 27, around the time Cyclone Arnab was approaching Yanam before making landfall in the early hours of October 28.

The MarineTraffic portal, which tracks vessel movements, showed the ship’s status as “Vessel is out of range” two days ago. Its last recorded movement was along its intended route.

Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of October 28, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph and gusts of up to 150 kmph.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the process continued for six hours, until 8 a.m.

The cyclone claimed four lives and left a trail of destruction in coastal districts, uprooting thousands of trees and electricity poles and causing extensive damage to crops.