New Delhi:Ten Chinese vessels have been allowed to stay at Ratnagiri port in Maharashtra on humanitarian grounds after they sought shelter to avoid being hit by the fury of Cyclone 'Vayu', Indian Coast Guard said.
"As concerned with this present cyclone, yesterday we got news of two Chinese vessels which were off Ratnagiri. Immediately a team of the Police, the Coast Guard went and checked them. Today, eight more have arrived which makes it ten," Indian Coast Guard Inspector General, KR Suresh said here.
He said the vessels will be provided shelter with a security cordon.
"They are probably seeking monsoon shelters on humanitarian grounds and with the fury of the cyclones which is progressing towards the Coast of Gujarat. We will be providing them shelter and keeping them under security cordon. At the same time, they will have to take requisite approval from the government of India which is required for such an action," Suresh said.
Talking about cyclone 'Vayu' the Coast Guard officer said, "Around six or seventh of this month, during our regular monitoring of oceans especially for weather and more so because of the approaching of South West Monsoon, we realised the development of low pressure which can convert itself into a depression or even a cyclonic storm especially to facilitate the early arrival of Monsoon."
"In the process, by the eighth of this month, we had issued advisories to the Coast Guard formations as per the SOPs which we learned after Cyclone Okhi. We are in a position to simultaneously inform all the state governments and to ensure that there is no loss of life and property in the ocean," he said.
Meanwhile, Indian Air Force on Tuesday also tweeted that its C-17 Globemaster got airborne from New Delhi for Vijayawada.
"#CycloneVayu : Today a C-17 aircraft of #IAF got airborne from New Delhi to Vijayawada. The aircraft is planned to airlift about 160 personnel of NDRF from Vijayawada to Jamnagar to carry out the #HADR missions for the people affected by the cyclone in Gujarat. #SavingLives," IAF said in its tweet.
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