NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday rescued 23 crew members from a foreign chemical tanker carrying 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil after it developed a dangerous tilt off the coast of Paradip in Odisha.The vessel, MT Seagull 9, was taken under tow towards Paradip after Coast Guard personnel stabilised it following a distress call, the ICG said.In a post on X, the Coast Guard said: “Averting a major disaster at sea! Following a critical distress call from MT Seagull 9 off #Paradip, #ICGS Vishwast launched a swift & decisive operation to rescue the unstable chemical tanker carrying 9,000 MT palm oil & 23 crew members.Braving high-risk conditions, the specialist Damage Control Team boarded the ship, deployed submersible pumps, de-flooded ballast tanks, and sealed damaged sea-pipelines to stabilize the tilting vessel.To augment pollution response & continuous surveillance, an ICG Pollution Control Vessel & Offshore Patrol Vessel were also diverted to scene. ICG Dornier aircraft confirmed the minor palm-oil sheen has completely dissipated. The ship is now safely under tow towards Paradip. ICG units remain on active sentinel watch—ensuring safety & protecting our oceans 24/7.”The specialist Damage Control Team boarded the tanker, deployed submersible pumps to remove water from its ballast tanks and sealed damaged sea-pipelines to stabilise the vessel.
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An ICG Pollution Control Vessel and an Offshore Patrol Vessel were also diverted to the site to support pollution response and maintain surveillance. A Dornier aircraft confirmed that the minor palm-oil sheen observed in the area had completely dissipated, the Coast Guard said.The ICG said its units remained on watch as the ship was towed towards Paradip.
Recent Coast Guard rescue operations
Earlier, on September 11, the Coast Guard evacuated 21 crew members from merchant vessel MV KMAX EMPEROR after it collided with another ship, MV TRUE MARINER, near the outer anchorage of OTB Kandla in Gujarat.On August 21, the Coast Guard also carried out search and rescue operations after cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal, around 290 nautical miles off Paradip. The ship was carrying about 71,200 metric tonnes of iron ore fines from Odisha to China and had 24 crew members on board, including 20 Chinese nationals, one Bangladeshi and three Myanmar nationals.
