KOLKATA: Twenty seven Bangladeshi fishermen who were stranded on their fishing boat at sea for two days were rescued by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Thursday and were later handed the over to another Bangladeshi coast guard.
An ICG patrol ship Amogh during patrol at Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), saw a Bangladeshi fishing boat Sagar II, adrift inside Indian waters as they sought help.
ICG officials found the Bangladeshi boat had a steering gear breakdown for the last two days and had been adrift since then, which lead to the boat drifting inside Indian waters. The ICG technical team tried to identify and rectify the defect, but it was observed that the rudder of the boat was completely damaged and could not be repaired at sea.
“As the sea state and weather conditions were condusive, it was decided that the distressed boat will be towed to the Indo-Bangladesh IMBL and handed over to another Bangladeshi fishing boat operating across IMBL or to Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard,” an ICG official said.
In the meantime ICG headquarters at Kolkata established communication with Bangladesh Coast Guard and informed them about the incident and plan of action. Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship (BCGS) Kamaruzzaman arrived near the IMBL on Thursday evening when the fishermen were transferred to the ship.
An ICG patrol ship Amogh during patrol at Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), saw a Bangladeshi fishing boat Sagar II, adrift inside Indian waters as they sought help.
ICG officials found the Bangladeshi boat had a steering gear breakdown for the last two days and had been adrift since then, which lead to the boat drifting inside Indian waters. The ICG technical team tried to identify and rectify the defect, but it was observed that the rudder of the boat was completely damaged and could not be repaired at sea.
“As the sea state and weather conditions were condusive, it was decided that the distressed boat will be towed to the Indo-Bangladesh IMBL and handed over to another Bangladeshi fishing boat operating across IMBL or to Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard,” an ICG official said.
In the meantime ICG headquarters at Kolkata established communication with Bangladesh Coast Guard and informed them about the incident and plan of action. Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship (BCGS) Kamaruzzaman arrived near the IMBL on Thursday evening when the fishermen were transferred to the ship.