Cyclone Tauktae: Another tug vessel in distress off Mangaluru coast

A tug boat anchored in the outer anchorage of New Mangalore Port suffered distress after the seawater damaged the ship engine resulting in propulsion loss. The crippled vessel ran into the rocks and rescue efforts are underway amidst the raging sea. The sailors from the tug boat have sent out an SOS pleading for rescue. On Saturday, another tug boat capsized in which two sailors were killed and three are still missing.

Mangaluru: In less than 24 hours after a tug boat mishap off Mangaluru coast on Saturday leaving two dead, three missing of the 8-member-crew, another tug vessel with her nine-member crew ran into rocks off Kaup coast in Karnataka on Sunday.

The crippled tug boat Coromandel was anchored in the outer anchorage of New Mangalore Port though the contract with Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited expired in December last year.

As Cyclone Tauktae started ravaging Karnataka coast, the tug boat took the brunt of the high seas as sea water damaged the ship's engine and generators. As the result, she lost the propulsion and started drifting away due to the waves.

The Indian Coast Guard on Sunday is making efforts amid raging waves to rescue the crew after they sent a video message seeking help, Coast Guard Karnataka commander DIG S B Venkatesh said.

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Coast Guard vessels and personnel are unable to go near the crippled Coromandel in the rough seas even though an ICG Ship is keeping a watch on the vessel from from a distance, NMPT sources said. The rescue operations are being monitored by Udupi SP N Vishnuvardhan, additional DC Sadashiva Prabhu, Coast Guard, Navy and police officials.

On Saturday, tug boat Alliance suffered distress capsizing in which two crew members died, three went missing and three swam to safety. Alliance was under contract with MRPL to facilitate offloading of crude from the single point mooring off NMPT. She could not return after offloading crude from a very large crude carrier on Friday evening. The Tug began drifting when she started return voyage on Saturday morning and subsequently capsized unable to manage the turbulent sea.

Meanwhile, a sailor fell into the sea from a container vessel SSL Ganga while three other sailors suffered injuries when the vessel bound to Hazira from Mangalore Port was caught in the cyclone on Saturday evening. The ship returned to New Mangalore Port and the injured sailors were being treated in a hospital in Mangaluru.

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