Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 23: An injured Bangladeshi seafarer was evacuated from a merchant vessel in mid-sea after the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) coordinated a sea-air rescue operation under rough weather and darkness around midnight on September 21. The 36-year-old crew member had suffered severe head and spinal injuries after falling aboard the bulk carrier MV Amris, prompting a coordinated response involving the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Sri Vijaya Puram alerted the ANC after receiving information about the accident on the vessel, which was sailing from Chattogram in Bangladesh to the Port of Krabi in Thailand. The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship carried the injured Bangladeshi seafarer when the incident occurred.
An Indian Coast Guard ship reached MV Amris despite rough seas and darkness and brought the injured crew member safely aboard. The casualty was then transported to Diglipur Harbour, from where the coordinated evacuation continued by air.
An Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter subsequently airlifted the injured seafarer to Sri Vijaya Puram despite extremely adverse weather conditions. Medical personnel monitored his condition throughout the evacuation before he was admitted to GB Pant Hospital in Sri Vijaya Puram for further treatment. The management of the vessel was also informed about his condition and the developments during the rescue.
The operation highlighted the integrated search-and-rescue and casualty-evacuation arrangements coordinated through the ANC, where sea and air assets were used in succession to move the injured crew member from the merchant vessel to medical care.
The rescue comes as the ANC, India’s only Tri-Services Command, marks its Silver Jubilee. The Command includes the Navy, Army and Air Force, while the Coast Guard also forms an important component of its operations. The Coast Guard undertakes casualty evacuation at sea and search-and-rescue operations in addition to its responsibility for protecting the coastline around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The ANC recently conducted a Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR) exercise to prepare for cyclonic weather expected in the Northern Indian Ocean later this year. The islands sit along important shipping routes, requiring the Command to maintain readiness for maritime emergencies. A large volume of the world’s bulk and oil cargo moves through the region to and from the Strait of Malacca, which links the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Inter-island shipping services also require monitoring. The Coast Guard said it saves a life at sea, on average, every second day and has rescued nearly 12,000 people, including mariners and fishermen, since its inception.
An official said the ANC has streamlined the search-and-rescue and casualty-evacuation process and that coordinated efforts are aimed at ensuring that no life is lost at sea.
